


Velvet Thunder

by The_Jade_Samurai



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Blood and Gore later on in the story, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Jon is basically Captain America, K-pop References, Kinda Bodyguard AU, Magic, Probably the silliest thing I have ever written, Slow Burn, Super Soldiers, Yi Ti is basically Japan and Korea combined
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-06
Updated: 2019-09-28
Packaged: 2020-10-11 02:10:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 48,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20538440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Jade_Samurai/pseuds/The_Jade_Samurai
Summary: Jon Snow thought he would get the peace he had always searched for after fighting a long war against the White Walker terrorist group as the only successful super soldier in the Westerosi military and the saviour of the modern world. But when he returns home he is immediately asked to be the personal bodyguard of the enormously famous Yi Ti pop group ‘Velvet Thunder,’ after the members receive numerous death threats.Exhausted but not one to let the little guys be pushed over, Jon reluctantly agrees to be the protector of five young women during their world tour. And maybe he will find that peace he so desperately searches for during his travels with the girls.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Probably the stupidest thing I have ever written, but I also think this is also one of the most fun things I've ever written as well. Anyway this story is Jon Snow is Captain America meets the Bodyguard meets K-pop fic (weird I know) with some magic thrown in there. Idk how many people will read this as there are so few Jon Snow/OFC stories out there but oh well.
> 
> Funny story I got the the idea of this fic from watching all three Captain America movies in one go and then immediately started listening to some K-pop (I'm a twenty-one year old man who listens to K-pop, fight me).
> 
> Anyways enjoy!

Jon sighed as he ran his fingers through his dark, medium-length hair. His hair was the longest it had been since enlisting in the military, and his beard, though thick, was well-maintained and looked after. It was a stark contrast to the old battered-and worn out Kevlar and light weight titanium suit he was wearing. Though it was charcoal grey and white, it was dirty, with many rips and tears in it, and the sleeves were rolled up to Jon's elbows.

  
It had been four years since Jon had been south of the ancient barrier of ice known as the Wall, the divide between Westeros and Beyond-the-Wall. Four long years since he was enhanced to be the perfect soldier. The White Wolf, they called him with his ironically-dark armour and indestructible shield emblazoned with a snarling wolf's head as he led battles against the White Walkers. The damn terrorists had almost conquered all of the land beyond the Wall before the tide had finally turned in favour of the United forces of Westeros and the numerous countries on the enormous continent of Essos. By the end of the war the White Walkers were completely decimated and Jon had been the one who personally put three bullets in the terrorist leader's head.

  
Jon had lost a lot in that four years. His cousin and best friend Robb died early on in the war, and his body had never been found. Mance Rayder, Grenn and Pyp, his great-great grand uncle Aemon, his first love Ygritte, as well as a great many others. Jon had thought that being a war veteran by the end he would have gotten used to it, hardened by all the suffering he had endured, but he still felt every loss as keenly as if he was reliving it. It didn't help that he couldn't get drunk anymore. Jon had been looking forward to some peace and quiet finally, but all that came crashing down when he'd gotten word from his C.O. that he would be transferring to work as head of security for some girl group of popstars from Yi Ti.

  
Jon could sense that Sam was giving him a sympathetic look as he watched his best friend going through the dossier he had been given while still aboard the plane. Within the creamy-yellow file were pictures of four young women in their early to mid twenties smiling back at the weary super soldier, all with similar Yi Tish features. Underneath the photos was all the basic information about each girl: names, age and date of birth, height, eye colour, hair colour, parents etc. It was all very exhausting to read.

  
“I don't even like Y-Pop,” said Jon finally.

  
“Everyone who listens to Y-Pop loves it,” argued Sam.

  
“Well, I've never listened to it,” said Jon as he closed the dossier and leaned back against the wall of the plane.

  
“Even Tormund likes Y-Pop, and he's the most hard-core person we've ever met,” pointed out Sam. Jon sighed and leaned forward while opening up the dossier again. He settled on staring at the photo of the second-youngest member of the group, a girl who was actually born and raised in the North, just like Jon had been. Her name was Sol Jeong, but her stage name was Sonny.

  
“So why does the company these girls work with want me to guard them again?” asked Jon.

  
“E.D. Entertainment has a record of recruiting young talent from across the world and putting the most compatible together into groups,” explained Sam. “Once they pass their training, E.D. debuts them and hope they get popular enough for them to start raking in the money. Apparently, this group of girls are similar in the fact that they all share a common ancestor, a kitsune.”

  
“A what?” said Jon.

  
“Kitsune, it's like a super powerful magic fox that has multiple tails. The more tails, the more powerful they are, and this particular kitsune had nine tails, the highest number a kitsune can have,” said Sam. When Jon looked at him disbelievingly, Sam returned it with a meaningful look. “Come on Jon, after everything we've seen and been through, magical god-like foxes are hard to believe?”

  
Jon shrugged. “I'm just remembering the time when the weirdest thing in the world was me,” he said wistfully.

  
Sam shrugged before sitting down next to Jon and clapping him on the shoulder. “Yeah, but ice demons and portals to other dimensions? At least kitsunes are from our world,” he joked.

  
Multi-tailed magical foxes sounded like they belonged in those old movies Jon's cousin Sansa used to love watching, but Jon didn't say that out loud. “So about these girls and their ancestor?” he pressed in an effort to get the conversation back on topic.

  
“Right. Well, apparently these girls are all born to the ninety-ninth generation of descendants, and the E.D. CEO reckons that the people threatening these girls believe that they have a fair bit of magical blood in them that could be exploited,” said Sam.

  
“Sounds like we're up against a cult of some sort,” mused Jon quietly.

  
“Probably, or they could just be overly-obsessive fans,” said Sam.

  
Jon frowned and thought that Sam's suggestion was probably the most likely theory, but regardless, these girls were being threatened. Sometimes he wished that he could simply say no and go back to the old life he had before the war, but Jon's mother had drilled into him the importance of always standing up for others, especially when you had the means to protect them. Damn the Stark pride that flowed in his veins.

  
“What’s the group's name again?” he asked.

  
“Velvet Thunder,” answered Sam with a smile.

* * *

Jon stepped off the plane (a different one), all cleaned up and dressed in his war uniform. He easily hoisted the large bag over his shoulder one-handed, his aviator glasses protecting his eyes from the sunlight and he walked over to the mass of people waiting nearby, flanked by multiple guards. He glanced over his shoulder to see the other weary-looking soldiers following behind, and he smiled slightly. Jon had the honour of fighting alongside several of these men accompanying him, including Sam and Edd, and knew that they were all as eager to settle down as he was.

  
Some people broke from the crowd to rush to their loved ones, crying loudly and embracing each other as if they didn't want to let go. Amongst the crowd, Jon saw one particularly large family all waiting nervously until he came into their view.

  
“Jon!” screamed a young woman who could have been Jon's sister, and she sprinted forward before leaping into his arms. Jon barely managed to catch Arya in time, and Rickon soon followed. Jon didn't allow tears to spill, having decided earlier that he needed to be strong in the presence of his fellow veterans and their families. Arya was openly weeping into his shoulder, soaking his shirt while Rickon held on to his leg tightly. Eventually the two of them let go and allowed Jon to get a good look at them.

  
Arya was no longer the short, skinny teenager he had left behind. Though she was still tiny and petite, Arya had grown into herself and become quite a beautiful young woman. She looked like a younger version of Jon's mother. Rickon was but a baby when Jon left for the war, but now he was about five or six years old and seemed to recognise him. Probably by Aunt Cat's photos.

  
As Jon walked with his two cousins back to the crowd, he saw that it wasn't just his mother's family there to welcome him home. He could see his two half-siblings Rhaenys and Aegon, as well as his younger aunt Daenerys there a little off to the side but no less happy to see him. Uncle Ned, Aunt Cat, Sansa, Bran and Uncle Benjen were there as well, all looking relieved and happy. Jon embraced every single one of them (though Rhaenys whispered into his ear that she ought to kill him for scaring her the way he had), and Jon felt at ease for the first time in a very long time.

  
Jon travelled back to Winterfell with Rhaenys, Aegon and Dany, spending the time catching up on their lives. They had done well in his absence, with Aegon helping Dad out with the company while Rhaenys had started her own clothing line. Dany had been dating some hunk from Vaes Dothrak about a year ago and was expecting the fellow to propose to her any day now, which Jon found amusing. He didn't speak much, not wanting to darken the joyous mood, but thankfully his siblings and aunt seemed to understand and did most of the talking. Then again, that was the way it had always been with them.

  
When they got back to Winterfell, Aegon tried to take some of Jon's bags, but they were too heavy so Jon ended up taking them all. He heard his older brother complaining about “damn super steroids,” which made the dark-haired man grin before they all headed inside. Dinner was served by Aunt Cat, the best meal Jon had in years, before the younger children were all sent to bed, leaving the adults to talk.

  
“I heard that you already got a job,” said Uncle Ned as he leaned over the kitchen counter.

  
“Yeah, I'm running security for some Y-Pop group called ‘Velvet Thunder,’” answered Jon.

  
From the table, Sansa choked on her drink while Aegon spat his Arbour Gold out. When Dany finished patting him on the back to stop his coughing, he looked at his brother in shock.

  
“Velvet Thunder? You're running security for Velvet-freaking-Thunder?!” he exclaimed loudly.

  
“You sound shocked,” said Jon.

  
“How the hell did you land that job?” said Arya.

  
“My C.O. gave me the job,” said Jon. Then he looked at everyone in confusion. “Why? What's the big deal?”

  
“Velvet Thunder is only the biggest Y-Pop group of all time,” said Sansa. “Their concerts sell out in the tens of thousands!”

  
“Then how come I've only heard of them recently?” asked Jon.

  
“They only came around a year into the war,” said Rhaenys, “but they gained popularity ridiculously fast because a lot of their songs were made to boost morale across the world.”

  
“They have some awesome bangers that play at a lot of clubs too,” said Sansa.

  
“Not to mention how beautiful they all are,” said Aegon.

  
“Egg’s got a crush on them,” whispered Rhaenys conspiratorially to Jon.

  
“_Everyone_ has a crush on them!” said Aegon dramatically.

  
“Hell, even Dad knows who they are!” added Arya.

  
“Um, thanks?” said Uncle Ned, looking as though he wasn't sure that what Arya said was a compliment or an insult.

  
“Why are you running security for Velvet Thunder?” asked Aunt Cat kindly.

  
“A lot of it is classified, but basically the girls have received a bit too many threats too be comfortable,” said Jon.

  
“But why you?” asked Uncle Ned.

  
Jon shrugged. “My guess is as good as yours,” he said.

  
“They're probably using his name to boost the group's popularity,” muttered Arya.

  
“Huh?” said Jon.

  
“Dude, don't tell me you don't know how famous you are?” said Aegon incredulously.

  
“I'm famous?” repeated Jon.

  
“Famous in the war hero sense, dear,” answered Aunt Cat.

  
“The whole world knows it was because of you we won the war,” said Dany.

  
“It wasn't just me!” protested Jon.

  
“We know that. But you've been the symbol of hope for a lot of people around here, and they remember you,” said Uncle Ned.

  
“Not to mention you're a fricken super soldier,” added Aegon. “How many of those are out there?”

  
Just me, thought Jon. Suddenly he felt very tired, despite his increased stamina and yawned.

  
“It's been a long day,” said Uncle Ned, “you should get some sleep.”

  
“Yeah, I think I will,” agreed Jon. “Where am I sleeping?”

  
“In Robb's room dear,” said Aunt Cat. Jon noticed how everyone seemed sad at the mention of the deceased eldest son of the Stark family, but it wasn't a crushing wave of mourning like he thought it would be. It seemed that the Starks had come to terms with Robb's passing. Jon bid everyone goodnight before trudging up the stairs to Robb's old room, and collapsed onto the bed. He was asleep before his head even hit the pillow.

* * *

Jon spent a week with the Starks, catching up with them and attending Rickon's rugby practices and game before heading south down to King's Landing with his siblings and aunt. He was there for another week so that he could spend time with his other family before catching a flight all the way east to Yi Ti, which lasted nearly forty-eight hours because the plane had to stop off at Meereen, delaying the journey. Jon wasn't bothered by sleeping on one of the airport's many couches for a couple of hours, having slept in far worse conditions only a couple of months earlier.

  
Looking out the window now, Jon could see the enormous metropolis that was Yin, the capital city of Yi Ti. It was at least three times larger than King's Landing, maybe even bigger, with skyscrapers that seemed to almost literally touch the sky. The city disappeared into the distance, with even Jon's keen eyes not being able to see the end. Ships of various sizes, from luxury yachts to the largest cargo ships dotted the bay, with numerous cargo ports lining the shore.

  
The plane landed, and Jon was soon out of the plane and making his way through customs. He only had one minor problem when his indestructible shield of Valyrian steel was picked up by one of the metal detectors while still in its bag, but the issue was quickly resolved when the customs officers realised who he was. Apparently Jon was known even in the most far reaches of the world. But very soon he was out of customs coming out of the arrivals’ gate.

  
Jon quickly realised that he very much stood out amongst the native Yi Tish people. Though his hair was almost as dark as theirs', the similarities ended there. He was at least a head taller than everyone else in the airport and much broader, especially around the shoulders. Everyone had shorter hair and the men were all clean-shaven, and the women short and petite, with a good portion of them having their hair styled to have bangs covering their foreheads.

  
Jon spotted a short, slim Yi Tish man in a black business suit holding a sign with Jon's name written in Common Tongue, and when they locked eyes the man raised a hand in greeting. Jon adjusted his bags and went over to the man, then extended his hand in greeting. However, the man bowed respectfully, a custom Jon wasn't very familiar with but he quickly took the hint and bowed as well, if a little stiffly.

  
“Welcome, Captain Snow,” said the man in fluent Common Tongue, “I am Shohei Mori, and I'll be your chauffeur today.”

  
“Pleasure to meet you,” replied Jon easily. He then noticed that there was a group of girls about high school age staring at him with doe eyes. Shohei noticed as well and grinned.

  
“Yi Tish women have a thing for foreign men, especially foreign men from Westeros,” he chuckled. “Not to mention they probably know who you are.”

  
“Is that going to be a problem for me?” asked Jon.

  
“Probably, but not many people know the famous White Wolf is here...yet,” said Shohei. “Here, let me take a couple of your bags.”

  
The small man then led Jon out of the airport to a waiting black car, where they put his bags into the trunk before leaving. Once out of the airport and into the city, Jon got a view of what he couldn't see from the plane. Yin was bustling with activity. Cars, buses and bicycles all competed with each other on the narrow streets, and the sidewalks were almost overflowing with people, who all looked to be in a hurry to get somewhere. Almost every sign was written in Yi Tish, with a few of them having Common Tongue subtitles underneath, but most of those were advertising karaoke and other popular tourist activities. Jon also noticed that a fair number of people were wearing masks that covered half of their faces, and when he asked Shohei about, the man explained that it was common courtesy in Yi Ti to wear a mask when one was ill with a cold.

  
After almost an hour of driving, they finally arrived at the headquarters of E.D. Entertainment. Shohei opened the door for Jon before going back inside the car and driving away. More men came out of the building, about ten security guards who quickly formed a perimeter of black-suited bodies around him before he was ushered inside the _very_ pristine building. The security guards directed Jon to the elevator, and once inside one of them pressed the button to the top floor. The ride up was completely silent, with Jon in the very centre of the group. Once the elevator reached the top floor, the security guards again shadowed Jon until they had arrived at a room. One of the guards opened the door for him, but they didn't follow him inside.

  
The office was large and spacious, with quite a number of expensive leather couches surrounding a mahogany coffee table and a TV attached to the far wall. The entire wall opposite the door was a window that overlooked the entire city, and close to it there was a desk made of the same wood as the coffee table, and behind it was a middle-aged man with the sleeves of his white button-up shirt rolled up to his elbows sitting on a leather desk chair. The man looked up and smiled when he saw Jon.

  
“Ah, Captain Snow, a pleasure to finally meet you,” said the man before he stood up and moved around the desk, hand outstretched. Jon took the offered hand and gave it a firm shake before the man gestured to the couches, and the two men sat down.

  
“My name is Andy Wu, CEO of E.D. Entertainment,” introduced the man.

  
“Well it seems you already know who I am,” said Jon lightly.

  
Wu chuckled. “Even all the way out here in Yi Ti, we know about the man who singlehandedly stopped the White Walker invasion,” he said.

  
“I didn't do all the work,” said Jon.

  
“Of course you didn't, but it is amusing to see a man with so much power yet so humble all the same,” said Wu. A young woman entered the room then, carrying a tray which she set down before bowing and quickly leaving again. Wu grabbed two cups and filled them with a steaming-hot liquid and offered one of them to Jon, who accepted. When he tasted the drink, it was hot with a bitter taste that he wasn't sure he liked or not.

  
“What is this sir?” asked Jon.

  
“Barley tea,” answered Wu. “I used to be a heavy coffee drinker, but recently I developed an ulcer in my stomach and the doctor said I had to stop drinking it for a while. This is the alternative.”

  
“It tastes...” Jon trailed off as he struggled to find the right word.

  
“Like dirt?” offered Wu with a grin. “Don’t worry, you get used to the taste after a while.”

  
Jon put the china cup down on the table as Wu stared at him intently.

  
“I trust that you read the file sent to you?” asked Wu.

  
“Yes sir,” said Jon.

  
“Good, so I don't have to explain too much to you then,” said Wu. “But just in case, can you tell me everything you've learned and that you're expected to do?”

  
“All four members of Velvet Thunder are descended from a powerful kitsune that lived over thousands of years ago, and a cult wants to kill them for their blood,” said Jon. “You want me to protect them for however long until the issue is resolved.”

  
“To put it simply, everything you said was correct,” said Wu. Then he stood up and walked over to the window, looking out the window. Without looking back at Jon, he asked, “What do you know of kitsunes, Captain?”

  
“Just what my friend Sam told me,” admitted Jon.

  
“In Westeros and much of Essos, kitsunes are simply regarded as magical foxes with extra tales and a propensity for mischief,” said Wu. “But in Yi Ti, they are almost god-like in their power, so much so that many ancient Yi Tish worshipped them as deities. They are regarded to be even more powerful than the strongest Valyrian dragons.”

  
That was new to Jon. He'd seen the old dragon skulls hanging from the King's Landing National museum, and as a child he'd thought that nothing could have been as powerful or deadly as Balerion the Black Dread had been.

  
“According to legend, kitsune often disguised themselves as beautiful women who would often cause mischief amongst mortals, whether it be simply misplacing someone's coin pouch or starting entire wars,” continued Wu. “However, one particular kitsune was believed to have a soft spot for humans and would often advise ancient emperors in the ruling of the Yi Ti empire. In the stories, this kitsune fell in love with one emperor's captain of the guard and married him. Their children inherited many of their mother's power which helped keep the Ghiscari and Valyrian empires away. However that power disappeared from the rest of the kitsune's posterity after a thousand years.”

  
“Until recently,” guessed Jon.

  
Wu turned back to the super soldier with a grim smile. “the ninety-ninth generation. It seems foxes and the number nine go hand in hand,” he said.

  
“Have the girls displayed any of their... power?” asked Jon.

  
“Not yet, but taking pictures of them has started to become difficult,” replied Wu.

  
“What do you mean?”

  
Wu answered by opening a drawer on his desk and pulling out a file before handing it to Jon. When Jon opened the file, he quickly understood why. It was a collection of photos taken of the girls, listed as having been taken within the last few weeks. Around the girls was a strange aura shaped like foxes, and their eyes were glowing unnaturally as well.

  
“Are they projecting this light from their bodies?” asked Jon.

  
“It's only noticeable when the pictures are taken with flashes,” said Wu. “It's been a nightmare for my photography department trying to edit the auras out of the photos. And according to legend that's going to be the least of my worries.”

  
Jon closed the file and placed it on the coffee table gently. “What else is there?” he asked.

  
“The girls are only just starting to come into their power, and soon it's going to be causing some serious issues,” said Wu. “And while yes, I do want you to be their bodyguards, I have another assignment for you.

  
“I need you to help the girls master control over their powers within the next two months, because they're beginning their world tour after that.”

  
Jon felt his eyes widen. Him, teach four girls how to control abilities that were rumoured to hold back to of the most powerful ancient civilisations in history?

  
“Sir, with all due respect, but I don’t think I'm qualified to do such a thing,” he said worriedly. But Wu waved him off.

  
“Nonsense. You're a famed war hero and commander. Not to mention that my sources tell me that it took you a fair bit of time to adjust to your enhancements,” he said. “As far as I'm concerned you're the only person alive qualified to teach the girls.”

  
Jon wanted to argue that there was a difference between learning to use your new body and controlling supernatural gifts, but he kept quiet and nodded his head in resignation.

  
“If there are no more questions, I believe it is time for you to head down and meet your new friends,” said Wu with a clap of his hands.

  
Jon stood up and headed towards the door, where the ten security guards were waiting. They continued to shadow him to the elevator, and once again he was in the middle. The elevator was heading down to the tenth floor, which Jon assumed was where the members of Velvet Thunder were. Jon breathed deeply to steel himself before the elevator stopped, and then the silver doors opened to Jon's new world. 


	2. Chapter 2

As Jon walked through the halls of the tenth floor, he immediately noticed that there were a lot more women than men. His ten guards had all but left him the moment he stepped out of the elevator, and it wasn't until the elevator doors had closed that he had realised how much trouble he was in. Most of the rooms on the tenth floor were dance studios, and every single one of them were filled with girls from mid-teens to late twenties. A good many of them stopped and stared at Jon as he walked past the studios, whispering excitedly to each other in rapid Yi Tish that he couldn't understand.

  
Jon made the mistake of looking over his shoulder, only to see several dozen girls peering out of the studios to continue staring at him. When they noticed him staring back at them, a few of the girls gasped and ran back into their rooms while the rest giggled and waved shyly at him. Jon groaned internally and hoped that the Velvet Thunder girls were different from this bunch. Even before he was a super soldier he'd never been good with talking to girls, and despite the confidence he had gained in the past four years, he was still as nervous around women as ever.

  
At the end of the hall was a wooden door that had a sign in Yi Tish on it, but the subtitles underneath indicated that this was Velvet Thunder's private dance studio. Jon could faintly hear a beat coming from inside, probably from speakers which meant that the group was probably practising a choreography or something. He knocked on the door politely a couple of times, but there was no response. Jon quickly glanced to the large group of girls still watching him (he ignored the fact that one of them was taking a photo of him) and, deciding it was better if he got away from the swarm of fans slowly making their way closer to him, he opened the door and slipped inside.

  
What Jon saw inside wasn't quite what he was expecting. Other than himself, there were only four people, all women in their early twenties and honestly very attractive. They hadn’t notice Jon enter the room as they were in the middle of practising a routine to an upbeat electronic song that looked really good. Now Jon was no dancer himself, but even he could tell that these four girls were far better than the ones outside. He was blindsided for a brief moment, but managed to quickly pull himself together. He straightened his shoulders and ran a hand through his hair to quickly brush it back, adjusting his navy-blue tie minutely before standing still and waiting.

  
The girls of Velvet Thunder finished their routine when the song ended, and one of them quickly ran over to the stereo and pushed a button on it. Only when the girls were wiping their sweaty faces with their towels and drinking from their water bottles did they notice the newcomer.

  
The tallest one, who looked half Yi Tish let out a small squeak of surprise and dropped her bottle, making the other three girls jump in fright. Then they saw Jon as well, and began muttering in rapid Yi Tish to each other in hushed tones. Jon stood awkwardly for a moment before deciding to go to them, and he quickly noticed how he practically towered over them by a full head.

  
“I'm sorry for startling you ladies,” he said slowly before reaching down to collect the water bottle the first girl had dropped and handed it to her, “but Mister Wu said you'd be down here.”

  
“You- you're the White Wolf,” started the first girl in surprisingly good Common Tongue, though there was definitely an accent.

  
“I'm Jon Snow, your new bodyguard,” introduced Jon.

  
The four girls looked at each other, creating a silence that allowed Jon to quickly assess them. The first girl who had spoken was the tallest and thinnest, with very long legs and wearing tights with a crop top, displaying her toned stomach. Her hair was died chestnut-brown and her forehead covered by bangs, and her eyes were large and chocolate brown. The girl next to her was the shortest, but she looked to be the eldest. She was also the most modestly dressed in her white t-shirt and baggy track pants, her hair was black and wavy, her lips full and her eyes thin, a typical feature of people from Yi Ti. The third girl was slightly taller than the second, and her hair was black as well, though her cheeks were round and her eyes were shaped like a cat's but were dark brown and cuter. She was wearing a tank top singlet and short shorts. And finally the last girl was the second-tallest, with long, straight hair that was died deep red and currently tied in a ponytail. She had round cheeks that made her resemble an adorable chipmunk a little, with thin, almond-shaped eyes. She was built slimly like the rest of them, and she was wearing a crop top and track pants.

  
“I'm Aya,” said the first girl.

  
“I'm Jihyun,” said the second girl in clear but very broken Common Tongue.

  
“I'm Brenna,” said the third girl, whose Common Tongue was better than the first two's.

  
“And I'm Sol, but everyone calls me Sonny,” said the last girl perfectly and in an accent that Jon was very familiar.

  
“You're the one from the North,” he said to Sonny, who looked slightly bashful.

  
“Y-Yeah. But so are you,” she replied.

  
Jihyun whispered something into Brenna's ear, and the other girl nodded thoughtfully. “Jihyun wants to know if you really are a super soldier,” she said.

  
Jon could see that Jihyun was embarrassed, so he tried to smile warmly. “I am,” he answered. To his surprise, Jihyun nodded even though nobody translated for her. Aya seemed to notice his confusion and she giggled.

  
“Brenna and Sonny can speak Common Tongue really well, I know a little bit and Jihyun can't speak much at all, but she understands it perfectly,” explained Aya.

  
“You said all of that perfectly, I'd say you know a lot more than just a little,” pointed out Jon. Aya’s face turned red and she shook her head in disagreement.

  
“I grew up speaking Common Tongue as my first language,” said Sonny. “Brenna studied in King's Landing for six years so she's basically fluent as well.”

  
Jon took all of that information in and stored it into the back of his mind as he nodded thoughtfully. Then he looked around the studio for a brief moment before asking, “What time do you finish?”

  
“We're just about to, why?” said Brenna.

  
“Just wondering as to when I'm starting,” said Jon.

  
“You're starting now?” asked Sonny in surprise. “When did you get here?”

  
“I arrived in Yin...” Jon paused as he checked the analogue clock on the wall, “just over three hours ago now?”

  
“Damn, you're dedicated,” said Aya appreciatively.

  
Already Jon could tell that the four girls standing in front of him were different from the others, which he appreciated immensely. Maybe it was because of the fact that they probably already knew he was coming and had prepared themselves for the fact, and while he could see the star-struck expression in Aya and Jihyun's eyes, at least they were trying to rein their excitement in for all of their sakes. Being famous themselves, they probably understood how Jon felt these days in public.

  
“Right. Um, well... I'll just be waiting outside for you to finish,” he said a little awkwardly, and made to head to the door again, but someone grabbed his forearm.

  
“Wait. We don't mind if you stay in here until we finish. We know how the girls outside can get sometimes,” offered Sonny.

  
“Oh, I couldn't possibly-“ began Jon.

  
“Don't worry about it. We're only going to be in here for five more minutes,” said Brenna.

  
“If you're sure...” said Jon cautiously, but when all four of them insisted, he relented and sat down in a fold-up chair in the corner of the studio. He waited there until the girls were done, and together they left the studio and headed down to leave the building.

  
Shohei was already waiting out the front, with a different vehicle that was bigger, and Jon hopped into the passenger seat while the girls all piled into the back seats. The ride to the Velvet Thunder apartments took over an hour due to heavy traffic, during which Jon and Shohei remained silent while the girls chatted to each other excitedly in Yi Tish. Every now and again Shohei would let out a snort of amusement, leaving Jon confused because he couldn't speak the language.

  
_Just another thing to add to my to-do list. Learn Yi Tish,_ Jon thought to himself. It shouldn't be too hard, he was already fluent in Old Tongue and High Valyrian, and he'd heard somewhere that the more languages one learned, the easier it became.

  
“Hi guys, this is Sonny here,” said Sonny, switching to Common Tongue. When Jon looked back he saw that the red-haired girl was looking at her phone, and behind her Aya was waving excitedly at the phone as well. They were probably doing one of them live sessions on Instagram that Sansa did a lot these days, which Jon was pretty sure wasn't a feature on the app when he left to enlist in the military.

  
“Anyway, so I just wanted to let you know that today has been pretty exciting, “ continued Sonny, “we finished recording our latest single and we're working on the dance for that right now, so get keen for that.”

  
“And I finally got a new Gucci bag!” said Brenna excitedly, making the other girls laugh.

  
“Yes, Brenna got a new Gucci bag,” echoed Sonny with a giggle. “Oh, and we have a new friend who's going to be hanging out with us for a while.”

  
From the rear-view mirror, Jon made eye contact with Sonny, who gave him an understanding look.

  
“Now, I can't tell you who it is just yet because I'm not allowed to just yet. But I'm sure you'll be hearing all about it in the next couple of days,” she said. Jon felt warm as Sonny seemed to understand his desire for a little bit of privacy, and even though he'd only known them for all of thirty minutes, he already found himself liking the members of Velvet Thunder.

  
After Shohei dropped the five of them off at the tall and expensive-looking apartment building, Jon followed the girls up to one of the upper floors, carrying his bags easily. He allowed Aya to hold his shield while they were going up in the spacious elevator, and the four girls excitedly took turns holding it while taking ridiculous selfies in the elevator mirror. That made Jon slightly uncomfortable, mostly because he had never gotten into the selfie craze, but he hid it with a small grin.

  
The elevator stopped on the thirty-fifth floor, and the girls led Jon out towards their apartments. Brenna told him that his new home was room three-five-eight, directly opposite their apartment. Once he was sure that the girls had all gone inside, Jon unlocked the door to his apartment and stepped inside.

  
The apartment was cosy and modern, with hints of Yi Tish culture in the style and shape of the windows and doors. The kitchen was small and opened up to a surprisingly-spacious living room, with a three-seater couch, oak coffee table and a flat screen TV hanging from the wall. Out of the glass door of the living room was a balcony which offered a good view of the city, showing off the night lights of the metropolis.

  
As Jon made his way into the bedroom, he was surprised by the mural of the jade dragon mural which hung directly over the king-sized bed. It was fierce and snake-like, and it seemed that the golden eyes were following Jon as he moved around the bedroom to look around. He ended up spending most of the night unpacking his bags and putting his stuff away in the wardrobe and bedside drawers. But when he unpacked his bag that had his combat gear, he noticed that his suit was different.

  
He had originally packed his old uniform, as old and tattered as it was, but this suit, while designed almost exactly the same as the old one, was navy blue and more utilitarian, with silver stripes that stretched from the shoulder padding to the chest, ending where a silver dragon head similar in design to the same dragon mural painted on his wall that was roaring. Jon sighed and thought that his days of being the White Wolf were over. Well, maybe it was time that he finally got more in touch with his father's side of the family.

  
Jon grabbed the new suit out of the bag and hung it up on a sturdy hanger, stuffed the combat boots under the shelves and grabbed his shield before exiting the room. He then placed the shield against the wall between the living room and bedroom, thinking it an easy spot to access his favourite weapon in case there was an emergency before going to the bathroom to shave. Sonny had warned Jon that E.D. had a strict ‘no facial hair’ policy for all employees, and the only reason why no one and pulled him up about it earlier was because it was his first day on the job. While Jon personally thought that particular rule was a little ridiculous, he didn't complain and shaved all his facial hair off, leaving the sideburns down to the bottom of his ears.

  
As he washed the cream off his face, Jon looked at his hair and thought it would be a good idea to get a haircut as well, just to be on the safe side.

* * *

The next day Shohei picked them up to go back to E.D, where Jon would spend most of the day going through all the details of the upcoming world tour, scheduling times when he could help the girls control their growing powers and finding time to train himself and also study Yi Tish. By the end of it Jon had a small migraine, which wasn't helped much by all the racket caused by the girls on the way back to the apartment at the end of the day.

  
The day after that proved to be a little better, as he travelled with Velvet Thunder to a huge shopping complex where the girls would be greeting fans. Jon spent most of the time watching the multitude of fans and girls, and he was a little surprised to see that all four of them seemed to have a genuine love for the people, striking up conversations with them and hugging them. It was quite a bit of a contrast to how Westerosi celebrities treated their fans. He made sure that he was in the background, keeping his favourite pair of aviator glasses on so that the chances of somebody recognising him were lowered, and though he did get an odd look from people every now and again, no one actually seemed to recognise him.

  
The end of the meet and greet session made way for an outside tour, where people would film the girls for the series premiere of their own reality TV show. Wu had told Jon yesterday in their meeting that the show would air in a week's time all across the country and the Yi Tish speaking parts of Asshai and Qarth, and it would also serve to be part of the official introduction of the captain as part of the E.D. family.  
Apparently reality shows were different in Yi Ti than Westeros, as there were no games or anything of the sort set up for Velvet Thunder.

Instead, it seemed to be more of a visual documentation of the girls' lives in an effort to help fans relate to them on a more personal level. At the moment, the girls, Jon and accompanying camera crew were heading towards the local markets, with each girl holding their own selfie stick with a special camera attached to the end. Sonny and Aya were chatting away and laughing while Brenna and Jihyun were looking at the various seafood on offer at a nearby stall.

  
Jon made sure that all four girls were within his sight and sound by keeping himself an equal distance between the two couples. He noticed that Sonny was trying out a sushi roll, and her cheeks looked plumped up as she ate. When she saw Jon looking at her, she waved him over.  
“Here, try this,” she said, handing Jon a piece of sushi that looked to be made of rice and little orange balls. Jon tentatively took a bite, but let out a soft moan of delight when it tasted delicious.

  
“This is really good,” he said honestly. “What's in it?”

  
“Um... excellent question, let me ask,” replied Sonny before she quickly asked the worker behind the stall. When the worker finished answering, Sonny translated. “She said that it's salmon eggs and rice.”

  
“I like it,” said Jon, and he pulled out his wallet and ordered two more. He paid, thanked both Sonny and the worker before going back to see what the other three girls were doing. Aya was monologuing on her personal camera while Jihyun was pulling silly faces behind her, and Brenna was in a discussion with one of the operators. A camera man then came up to Jon and asked in broken Common Tongue if he could come and introduce himself in front of the cameras.

  
He was positioned right in between the four girls, and Brenna told him to wait for his name to be mentioned before he could introduce himself. Behind the camera, the operator held his fingers up and counted them down till he was on his last one, then the red light on the camera flicked on. Velvet Thunder started off by saying hello to the camera (at least, Jon assumed they were saying hello) before Jihyun started speaking alone. He heard her say his name before all four of them chorused “WHITE WOLF” and gestured to him excitedly.

  
“Hello everyone, I'm Jon Snow, and I'm friends with Velvet Thunder,” he said in what he hoped was a happy voice.

  
“So what are you doing in Yi Ti with us Captain?” asked Brenna in Common Tongue.

  
“Well, I'm gonna be living here for a little while, do you mind if I tag along with you guys?” replied Jon.

  
“Yeah!” said all four girls excitedly before Brenna and Aya grabbed Jon by the hands and dragged him away from the camera. For the rest of the afternoon, Jon was put in front of the camera instead of hanging behind it as he was told to spend time with each individual member as they continued on their way through the markets.

  
By the end of it Jon felt confused by all the Yi Tish being spoken around him, despite Sonny and Brenna's best efforts to translate for him. The girls ended up not being the only ones having fans coming up to him asking for photos and autographs, and all Jon wanted to do was go back to his apartment and sleep. Being a celebrity was hard.

  
However, Jon also knew that he had to schedule a time with the girls to begin controlling their powers, but he didn't say anything during the car ride home as Shohei was driving, and Jon had been told that the only people who knew about the girls' abilities were him, the girls, Wu and some sorcerer who had warned the CEO about it. Oh, and the guys threatening to kill Velvet Thunder.

  
But once they were back inside and walking down the hall to their apartments, Jon grabbed Aya by the arm gently, forcing her and by extension the others to stop.

  
“I just wanna say first that today was really good,” began Jon. “I don't think I would have survived out there if I wasn't with you guys so thanks.”

  
“You're welcome,” beamed Aya.

  
“But I also wanted to talk to you all about something else, and I think you might know where I'm heading with this,” continued Jon. When the girls' expressions grew serious, he took that as a sign that they understood. “I don’t know how much you know, but I wasn’t just brought all the way here to be your bodyguard and celebrity friend. I was asked to help train you in learning to control your... growing abilities, and I wanted to know when we could start doing that.”

  
The girls shared a look with each other before quietly discussing amongst themselves in Yi Tish. Jon waited patiently before the girls turned back to him.

  
“Thursday and Sunday afternoons work for us,” said Sonny.

  
“Great. I'll put that in my schedule then,” said Jon. Then he glanced at his door. “I'll see you all tomorrow then.”

  
With a parting wave, Jon slipped inside, took of his shoes and leather jacket before heading into his bedroom and fell onto the bed. He pulled out his phone and noticed that Rhaenys had sent him a message, asking him to video call her when he had time. Jon decided to do it now and started calling his older sister, making sure that his camera was facing the right way.

  
Rhaenys picked up on the third ring, and Jon noticed that she was in the living room of her house sitting on the couch. Her face was illuminated by pale light that moved across her skin, and Jon guessed it was from the TV.

  
“Hey little brother,” greeted Rhaenys.

  
“Hey Rhae,” said Jon. “Sorry I haven’t called you yet, it's been crazy busy for me the past couple of days.”

  
“I figured as much,” said Rhaenys. “How's things?”

  
“Tiring. No amount of super soldier serum could have prepared me for this kind of stuff,” said Jon tiredly.

  
“Oh stop being so dramatic, that's Egg's job,” drawled Rhaenys.

  
Jon laughed and adjusted the pillow under his head to make himself more comfortable.

  
“Anyway, have you met Velvet Thunder yet?” asked Rhaenys.

  
“I have, and I'm living across the hall from them,” answered Jon.

  
“You WHAT?!” boomed another voice. Rhaenys' camera shook and suddenly Aegon was there next to his big sister, looking excited.

  
“Hey Egg,” said Jon.

  
“Sup bro,” replied Aegon quickly. “Now tell me _everything_ about them!”

  
“You're not gonna ask how I'm doing?” said Jon in mock annoyance.

  
“Pff, I know you're fine, now stop being annoying,” said Aegon.

  
“Fine,” murmured Jon good-naturedly. “Yin is huge, the food is great- oh, and the people, so lovely.”

  
“Joooon,” groaned Aegon.

  
Jon laughed. “Alright I'll stop teasing you. The girls are awesome. They've been so helpful and nice, though I think they get a bit frustrated that I can't speak Yi Tish yet.”

  
“You know they can speak Common Tongue, right?” said Rhaenys.

  
“I’m very much aware of that thank you. I meant that they're always having to translate everything for me,” said Jon.

  
“Do you have a favourite member yet?” asked Aegon.

  
“I don't think a bodyguard’s supposed to have a favourite,” replied Jon.

  
“Hm true that,” said Aegon thoughtfully, then he grinned. “Have you told them about me?”

  
“Why would I do that?” asked Jon.

  
Aegon pouted. “Can you at least put in a good word to Aya for me? Tell her I'm single and that she's my bias!”

  
“Your what?” asked Jon.

  
“Oh, get lost!” huffed Rhaenys as she pushed Aegon away from her, earning a shout of indignation. “This is my call with Jon, go find your own time!”

  
“Call me later bro!” Jon heard Aegon say, making the youngest sibling laugh.

  
“What time is it over there?” asked Jon.

  
“Um...” Rhaenys paused before saying, “Just after two in the morning.”

  
“Why are you up so late then?”

  
“Because this was the only time I could call you, plus Egg and I were binge watching a new series on Netflix.”

  
“Oh.”

  
“It's really good, it's all about a medieval kingdom and how all the rulers are trying to fight for control over everything, you should check it out.”

  
“I don't exactly have a lot of time to be watching any TV, Rhae.”

  
Rhaenys sighed. “I know, I know. But you gotta have some free time to yourself too, you know,” she said. “When was the last time you let yourself have a ‘Me Day?’”

  
Jon shrugged. “Probably when I was still in high school,” he answered.

  
“And you're almost thirty,” said Rhaenys.

  
“I'm twenty-seven.”

  
“Minor details,” brushed off Rhaenys like she hadn’t even made a mistake. “Had any drama yet?”

  
“If you're asking whether anyone's tried to kill the girls or me, then no, there hasn't been,” said Jon.

  
“That's a shame. Watching live television hasn't been as fun now that your propaganda ads no longer play,” grumbled Rhaenys. Jon could only roll his eyes in response at that.

  
“I have to go now, I need to write up a report on today as well as schedule some other stuff,” he said.

  
“Okay,” said Rhaenys in a slightly disappointed voice. “But remember what I said, try and get some down time.”

  
“I will. Love you sis.”

  
“Love you little brother.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: Jon's first training session with the girls, and he learns just how much work he's got ahead.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shoutout to NeverAgainEvan for the review!

The first Thursday training session had to be postponed as Wu had organised for the girls to take a new up-and-coming star on a tour, some twenty one year old girl whose father was from the Vale (so she was fluent in Common Tongue), so Jon ended up trailing not four, but five girls all around Yin for the whole day. Sonny told him that there were rumours going around that the new girl, Haruna, was being planned on joining Velvet Thunder as the newest member, though nobody was sure if the rumour was true or if she was part kitsune as well. Regardless, Jon thought Haruna was nice enough, if a little sassy at times.

  
Friday and Saturday also passed by without much incident, though Jihyun had an overeager fan run up to her while they were at a restaurant on Friday night, and Jon had been forced to restrain the poor man. Thankfully no permanent damage had been caused and the man left thoroughly embarrassed. Other than that and the haircut Jon got, the rest of the week was rather uneventful, and even though Jon had been looking for peace and quiet, he found himself bored all the time. It wasn't as though he wanted another war to start, goodness knew that the world had seen enough of that for the next century or so, but Jon just wanted to have some kind of action in his life.

  
But Jon thought that he might actually see some when Sunday morning rolled around with a bright sun filtering through his bedroom curtains. Jon yawned and stretched in his bed before climbing out and dropping to the floor to do some push ups. He did about a thousand before stopping, then he jumped up to his feet, headed to the bathroom, stripped out of his track pants and singlet and hopped into the shower. He dried himself off before heading back to him to get dressed into a cleaner pair of track pants and a grey t-shirt that clung to his chest and biceps tightly. Over the top of his shirt he chucked on a black hoodie.

  
Once ready, Jon quickly ate some breakfast before grabbing his shield and a bag filled with a towel and water bottle then headed out. He knocked on the girls' door, and only had to wait for a moment before it opened, and the girls all came out dressed in workout gear. They were quiet as they headed down to the bottom floor to the car waiting for them, once again commandeered by Shohei. But once in the car, the girls livened up and began their daily blogging, complete with giggling and squealing like... well, girls.

  
The building they went to was an abandoned warehouse that had been purchased by E.D. when it was revealed that Velvet Thunder were kitsune to use as a training ground of sorts. It was on the outskirts of the city away from prying eyes, and to Jon it looked like the perfect place for the girls to learn their powers. When they arrived, there was another car already waiting, and when Haruna stepped out of the car in workout clothes with a confused but nervous expression on her face, Jon's suspicions were confirmed. She was a kitsune as well, and it looked like Velvet Thunder was going to be debuting its newest member real soon.

  
“Welcome,” greeted Jon warmly.

  
“H-Hello,” stammered Haruna. Gone was the usual confident young woman Jon had met all of two days ago, replaced by a reserved girl scared of her own power. Jon had seen it in all four of the other girls, and he understood. He'd been much the same when he himself was learning how to control his own strength, even though he was a little older than them.

  
“Don't worry about anything, I'm sure the other girls will help you,” said Jon.

  
“I hope so, finding out I’m some kind of mythical creature freaked my parents out enough, let alone me,” replied Haruna in a hesitant tone.

  
“Let's head inside so we can get started,” suggested Jon. He gave Shohei a significant look, which the smaller man understood and with a small nod of his head, he hopped back into his car and drove off, followed closely by the other car. Jon then led the way into the warehouse, pushing open the steel door with one hand.

  
The door creaked loudly as the metal scraped against the concrete floor and grating everyone's ears. Jon closed it again once everyone was inside and headed to the centre of the building, which looked to have been cleared out completely to create more space. Off to the west side of the building were six high quality punching bags that hung from the ceiling, while the opposite side had multiple weights and machines, as well as a set of monkey bars. The north end had rowing and bike machines as well as treadmills, as well as some large speakers where a person could plug in their music to play. All of the equipment had been fitted in at Jon's request during the week, but as he looked at the empty centre of the building he pondered on asking Wu to put in a boxing ring as well.

  
The girls had dropped their bags and bottles near a concrete pillar and begun their stretches with a little space between them for room. Jon did the same, he took off his hoodie and swung his arms around to loosen them.

  
Jon paused when he heard someone gulp loudly, and he turned around to see Jihyun and Haruna staring at him with wide eyes and mouths slightly open. When they realised Jon was looking at them they averted their eyes, cheeks turning beet red. Jon only shook his head in amusement and picked up his shield, strapped it to his left arm and walked over to the girls.

  
“Let's get started, shall we?” he said. When the five of them snapped to attention, Jon asked, “How many of you know what kind of kitsune you are?”

  
Apparently, there were several different kinds of kitsune as their powers were based on an element which they harnessed, so Jon wanted to know what he was dealing with and how to best help each girl individually. The four oldest girls instantly put up their hands, though Haruna shook her head.

  
“Okay, we'll start with Jihyun,” said Jon.

  
“I am... water,” said Jihyun, her face scrunched up slightly as she tried her best to speak to Jon in Common Tongue.

  
“Okay, and Brenna?” continued Jon.

  
“Wind,” answered Aya.

  
“I'm fire,” said Brenna.

  
“And I’m thunder,” said Sonny.

  
“Impressive,” said Jon. Then he looked at Haruna and said, “Haruna, we'll try and figure out what you are in just a moment, but first I’m going to give you all the rundown on what to expect at these training sessions.

  
“First, because you are still very new to your powers, it means that you don't know how to control them. So for the first couple of days I'm going to try to help you master your bodies through some exercises. After that we'll be trying to see if you can master the spirit within you and using it in a defensive capability. Any questions?”

  
Sonny instantly raised her hand. “How are you gonna teach us to master our bodies Cap?" she asked, referring to Jon by his nickname. "That sounds like some Kung Fu stuff,” she said.

  
“Same way I learned, by fighting,” said Jon. At that, all five girls' eyes widened.

  
“You're going to teach us how to fight?” blurted out Aya.

  
“But we don’t know how to fight!” protested Brenna.

  
“And that's part of why I’m teaching you,” said Jon calmly. “The other reason is that despite the advantages I have over most people, I'm only one man. If multiple people are trying to kill you, there more than likely will come a time where I won't be able to reach no matter how hard I try, and you'll have to know how to defend yourself, even if it's just for long enough until I reach you.”

  
None of the girls argued that point, and Jon noted that Sonny, Jihyun and Aya accepted the logic without question. Haruna looked frightened, but she too accepted it. Brenna looked unconvinced, but like the others she eventually saw the point Jon was trying to make.

  
“What about our powers?” asked Aya.

  
“Again, you need to master yourselves before you can master your powers. From what I've heard, if we got attacked right now you girls would probably blow up half the neighbourhood,” said Jon. “You can't rely on them just yet.”

  
“Yeah, that makes sense,” muttered Aya.

  
“Now, let's begin,” continued Jon. “Now I want you all to line up, and try to punch me.”

  
The five girls looked confused at the request, but they complied and lined up, with Brenna at the front. She took a step forward towards Jon, and when he threw her an encouraging smile her way, she swung a fist towards his face. Jon lazily dodged the strike and caught it by the wrist, holding it in place. Brenna gasped at how quickly Jon moved, and he grinned at her.

  
“A few things to remember,” he said. He gently pried Brenna's hand open. “First, don't put your thumb inside your fist, if you had hit me you would have done more damage to yourself than me.”

  
“I think that would have happened whether I hit you correctly or not,” huffed Brenna. Jon smiled but said nothing at that.

  
“Second, you closed your eyes. How do you know what to hit when you can't see what you're aiming for? Try again.”

  
Brenna's second attempt was almost as pathetic, but at least her fist was closed properly this time. He gave a couple more pointers before telling her to go to the back of the line, and Jihyun stepped forward. She wasn't much better than Brenna had been, but she was more graceful. And then Aya came.

  
As she tried punching him, Jon noticed that the girls were showing signs of their power. Not in the literal sense, but more in the way they approached the situation. Brenna had been quick to get annoyed when she didn't get it right the first time, and seemed the more impulsive of the group, much like a wildfire. Jihyun's attempt was fluid and calm, like water, and Aya had been swift and light, like air. When Sonny came at him, Jon saw the strength of her lightning by how fast she had punched, but again, none of them were untapped potential and had a lot to do before they could get an advantage over the super soldier.

  
When Haruna came forward, Jon hoped that he would get an idea of what kind of power she possessed based on how she came at him. She looked absolutely terrified as she stepped up to the challenge Jon was offering her, but Jon admired her courage nonetheless. Haruna hesitated for a brief moment before she swung a fist at his face, but like all the previous attempts, Jon stopped it. However, to his surprise Haruna brought her other hand up and slapped him right across the cheek, eliciting gasps from the other girls. Even Haruna looked surprised at what she had just done.

  
“I'm so sorry!” she gushed as she clamped a hand over her mouth and backed away from Jon. However, he was feeling anything but sorry.

  
“Don't be, you played smart,” he assured. “In a fight, it's okay to be a little dirty, especially if you're going up against someone who's bigger and stronger than you. It could save your life.”

  
Haruna still looked like she was regretting what she did, but in her eyes Jon could see that she was grateful for the compliment. Jon decided that the girls needed to work on their technique above all else, so he taught them how to punch correctly before taking them over to the punching bags and, after strapping their hands and wrists, instructed them to hit the bags until he said to stop. He tried to be encouraging while firm at the same time, pushing the girls past their limits until they were sweaty and exhausted. Luckily all five girls were in good shape from years of dancing (Haruna had been a trainee at E.D. for almost as long as the other girls had been famous), so they kept up with Jon's regimen well enough.

  
Once he'd gotten them started, Jon grabbed his phone and walked over to the speakers. Working out without music was weird, in his opinion, so he plugged his phone into the speakers and put on his workout playlist, which was mostly hard rock and rap music. Once he put the playlist on shuffle, he turned back to the girls just as an old 80's rock song started playing, and it echoed through the whole warehouse loudly. However, he noticed that all the girls had stopped and were giving him queer looks.

  
“What?” said Jon.

  
“You actually listen to this?” asked Brenna incredulously.

  
“Hey, ‘Livin on a Prayer’ is a classic,” said Jon.

  
“For old people maybe,” laughed Aya.

  
“I like it,” said Sonny, and Haruna nodded her head in agreement.

  
Jon pointed at Sonny and Haruna and said, “These two are my favourites!”

  
The girls all laughed before they continued their exercise, and it seemed that the music helped keep their rhythm. Being dancers, it wasn't surprising that they were able to keep up the pace like they did.

  
Once Jon called for the girls to stop with the punching bags, he directed them over to the treadmills and cycling machines. There were only two of each, so he had them split off into pairs while the last person, who happened to be Sonny, was given a jump rope and he set a timer on his watch for five minutes, and once it was done he had them rotate. By the time everyone had gone through all the exercises, he led them to the centre of the room and grabbed his shield.

  
“Now, you're going to show me your abilities,” he announced.

  
“Why did you grab your shield?” asked Aya.

  
“Just in case,” said Jon as he smiled ruefully. “Now, Jihyun come up and show me what you've got.”

  
The oldest girl stepped forward, looking nervous. But she closed her eyes, brows furrowing together before suddenly she was encased in dark blue aura that looked like a humanoid fox around her body. Jon's eyes widened slightly at the magic, but he was even more stunned when Jihyun opened her eyes, which had become a glowing blue that seemed to swirl like waves.

  
“You got it?” asked Jon. Jihyun nodded slowly, so Jon readied his stance. “Alright, show me what you got.”

  
“Eh?!” exclaimed Jihyun in shock.

  
“Don't worry, a little water isn't going to kill me,” said Jon encouragingly.

  
Jihyun looked unconvinced, but when Jon nodded determinedly at her, she stretched her hands out, and out of them a blast of water shot out straight towards Jon. He blocked the jet with his shield, but the impact sent him staggering back a step. Jihyun stopped her magic, and the aura faded. Jon lowered his shield and beamed at Jihyun, who looked shocked that she had been able to do anything like what she just did. Behind her, the other girls had varying looks of shock and awe on their faces as well.

  
“Good job! Now let's see Aya do her thing,” said Jon.

  
Jihyun went back as Aya took her place, and she had a grin on her face. Her fox aura was bright yellow like sunlight, and instead of firing any streams of water at Jon, instead the wind swirled around her, picking up dust. Everyone took a few steps back, and Jon saw Aya actually levitate a few feet off the ground before she dropped down again and the wind dissipated.

  
Then it was Brenna's turn. Instantly she flared up in a fiery fox aura and threw a fireball straight at Jon, and he barely raised his shield up in time to block it, and the impact actually knocked him off his feet. Jon lay there for a second before sitting up.

  
“Oh my gosh!” yelled Brenna, and instantly she cancelled her power and ran over towards him. Jon accepted her help back up and looked at the blackened scorch mark on the very centre of the shield.

  
“Impressive,” said Jon.

  
“I could have killed you!” said Brenna.

  
“Don’t worry Brenna, I'm going to help you keep your powers in control,” said Jon placatingly. He then gently encouraged her to go back as Sonny stood.

  
Unlike the other three, Sonny's aura was less defined as light blue lightning crackled around her body. Her eyes glowed and crackled as well, and Jon could feel the power coming off her in warm waves that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Eventually Sonny cancelled her power, and actually sank to her knees with an exhausted look on her face. Jon quickly ran over to help her up, and she stood on shaky legs. Her normally-straight hair was now all fuzzy from the electricity she had generated and she tried to brush it down with her hand.

  
“You okay?” asked Jon.

  
“Yeah, doing that just takes a lot out of me is all,” replied Sonny. “The first time I did that I caused a thunder storm and passed out for three days.”

  
“That's why we're building up your strength,” said Jon. He was a little concerned at the revelation, and wondered just how powerful these girls could be, especially if Sonny could generate entire storms on accident. “Go sit down and drink some water,” he added.

  
Sonny brushed some hair out of her eyes before she tried walking over to where the bags had been dispensed, but when she stumbled Aya ran over to help her. Jon shook his head slightly and looked at Haruna.

  
“Okay Haruna, it's your turn,” he said.

  
“But I don't know how to trigger my powers, I literally just found out I'm a supernatural monster a week ago,” said Haruna.

  
“Don't worry about it, we can help you,” said Brenna. She and Jihyun both said something to the younger girl in Yi Tish, which seemed to calm Haruna a little and she nodded.

  
At Brenna's encouragement Haruna stepped forward and closed her eyes, breathing deeply. Then, suddenly the temperature in the warehouse plummeted to nearly freezing, making Jon's skin on his arms break out into goose bumps. A deep purple fox aura surrounded Haruna, and when she opened her eyes, Jon saw that they had turned a glowing violet. Haruna let out a scream and threw a ball that looked to be made of pure darkness straight at him. Jon blocked it with his shield, but he was blown completely off his feet and sent flying into the air. His back smacked into one of the punching bags behind him, softening the blow, but he landed shield first onto the ground, knocking the air out of him.  
Jon was dazed for a moment before he felt the air return to its normal humid temperature, and he glanced up to see all five girls running over to him.

  
“Oh crap! Are you okay?” asked someone. Was that Sonny who spoke? Jon felt several pairs of hands wrap around his arms and shoulders, and with a grunt he was pulled up onto his feet.

  
“What was that?” asked Jon.

  
“I- I don't know I've never done that before,” said Haruna. She looked pale and was wringing her hands nervously.

  
“You just knocked Cap thirty feet into the air,” said Aya.

  
“I didn’t mean to!” said Haruna, “it just happened!”

  
“Haruna, it's fine,” said Jon. “Was that your first time using your powers?”

  
“Yeah,” answered Haruna. “Do you know what I am?”

  
Jon shook his head but said, “I'll have a look tonight and let you know as soon as I find out though.”

  
Feeling a little sore, Jon decided to call it quits on the session for the day, and when he checked the time he realised that it was way past lunchtime. They'd been here for hours already, so when he suggested that they go grab something to eat, he was met by eager responses of agreement. Within ten minutes Shohei was back, and the Jon and all five girls climbed in. Shohei took them to a nearby okonomiyaki restaurant, and Aya and Jihyun happily taught Jon how to make the strange pancake that turned out to be quite delicious.

  
While everyone else was digging in to their meal, Jon noticed Haruna picking at her food without eating it.

  
“You okay?” he asked quietly.

  
Haruna shrugged. “Just a little freaked out about everything to be honest,” she replied. Then she looked up at him and put her chopsticks down. “How did you deal with everything when you became a super soldier?” she asked.

  
“It was very sudden for me,” answered Jon. “Before I went through the transformation, I wasn't the most healthy kid out there. My mother was always worried that I wouldn't make it to twenty because of my regular asthma attacks, but then she died when I was eighteen. A few years after that the war broke out and they were looking for volunteers to be the next generation of soldiers, and I think a lot of people involved didn't expect me to survive. But I was the first to go through the process and made it out fine.

  
“But I had to get used to my new body really quickly because there was a White Walker spy there who killed the man who invented the serum and tried to escape. I was the only one who could stop him, but the other serums were destroyed, and since the scientist was dead, no one knew how to remake it. I had to go through adjusting all by myself.”

  
Jon then gave Haruna a meaningful look. “Lucky for you Haruna, you got four other girls going through the same thing as you. They understand, and they're nice enough that they want to help you too. And while I may not have some crazy control over the weather or anything, I’m gonna do my best to help you too,” he said.

  
Haruna looked like she was going through some internal struggle, and Jon caught the brief flicker of purple in her eyes before she nodded her head.

  
“Well, no wonder so many people wanted to follow you to hell and back during the war,” she commented with a sly grin. “’Cause that speech of yours certainly boosted my self-confidence.”

  
Jon let out a chuckle and shrugged. “I just wanna help is all,” he said.

  
“Thanks Cap,” said Haruna earnestly.

  
“Any time.”

* * *

Late in the evening, Jon was flipping through the pages of the book given to him by Wu which talked about all the Yi Tish mythical creatures. He had promised Haruna that he'd figure out what kind of kitsune she was, and so he was looking for anything that matched the description of the girl's powers.

  
Under the kitsune section, he noticed something that caught his eye. It was something called a Void Kitsune.

  
_The Void Kitsune, or Dark Trickster as it is also known by, is a master of the night, shadow and deception. It is believed to be the most powerful of the kitsune after the Thunder Kitsune and the most untrustworthy. They have been known to be the cause of many usurpers and assassinations in ancient Yi Ti history. _

  
_ The Void Kitsune are generally considered evil and the teachers of many who dabble in dark or blood magic. Void Kitsune were hunted to near-extinction by a legion of supernatural creatures known as Oni, who were demon warriors often employed in the service of Celestial (Wind) Kitsune, though often their allegiances have been known to change if corrupted by more powerful entities such as djinn or ice dragons._

  
_Though all Kitsune were often hunted by dark sorcerers such as the Shadowbinders in Asshai or the warlocks of Qarth, Void Kitsune were prized by these factions because of their direct connection to darkness._

  
Jon put down the book and let out a deep sigh. So Haruna was a Void Kitsune, which was supposed to be an evil creature. But as Jon tried to put the image of a demon fox spirit that could topple governments with the kind young woman he knew together, it didn't make any sense. Haruna didn't seem capable of deceiving or even killing anyone. Then again, Jon had only known her for a couple of days. For a brief moment Jon considered not telling her about what she was, but quickly disavowed that thought. Neither of them would be able to help her if she was left in the dark.

  
“What have I gotten myself into?” wondered Jon allowed as he lay back on his bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: Haruna is announced as the new member of Velvet Thunder, and the group faces a lot of backlash right before their world tour begins.


	4. Chapter 4

Jon had just finished cooking up some bacon and eggs when he heard someone knocking on his door. Jon quickly put the frypan down on the stove, turned the heat off and went over to the front door, unlocked then opened it. He was a little surprised to see Shohei standing there, looking serious.

  
“Morning Shohei, what can I do for you?” greeted Jon politely.

  
“We need to have a talk,” said Shohei. Jon sensed the smaller man's unease, so he moved to the side without a word to let him in. Shohei moved inside quickly while Jon closed the door and relocked it, then headed into the living room.

  
“Want so bacon?” asked Jon as he grabbed his full plate.

  
“I’m fine, thank you,” said Shohei.

  
Jon shrugged and sat down on the couch, then took a bite of his egg. “So what brings you here?” he asked once he finished eating his bite.  
“The details on Haruna's debut with Velvet Thunder,” said Shohei as he pulled out a folded piece of paper and handed it to Jon. Jon opened it up and quickly gave it a once over, not really absorbing the details into his mind.

  
“Why didn't I just get the schedule from a text message like usual?” asked Jon.

  
“Mr Wu wanted me to tell you in person,” said Shohei.

  
_That's odd,_ thought Jon.

  
“Just about everything will be happening today for Haruna,” continued Shohei. “When we get to E.D. she'll he pulled in for an interview with one of the big reporters in Yin, and then following which she'll go to the studio to begin working on her first solo, just so that people will be used to her when she officially joins.”

  
“Who will be guarding her while she's separated from the others?” asked Jon.

  
“I will,” said Shohei. “In the meantime, the other girls will be with you until Haruna’s finished in the studio, then we'll be going in for a photoshoot. When that’s all done, we'll be helping Haruna move her things into the apartment with the other girls, so that it will be easier for you to watch all of them and allow the older ones to get to know Haruna better.”

  
“Sounds simple enough,” said Jon. “Is there anything else?”

  
“Um, yes actually,” answered Shohei. “Mr Wu has asked that you wear your new combat uniform today, he said you'll be needing it.”

  
“What for?”

  
Shohei looked uncomfortable when he said, “I'd rather not say.”

  
Well, now Jon was both cautious and curious. Whatever it was that Wu had planned, it couldn't be good.

  
Once Shohei left to get the car ready, Jon finished eating his breakfast, dumped the dirty plate and utensils in the kitchen sink to be washed later, then went to his bedroom and grabbed his new suit and put it on for the first time. It felt tighter than his last suit but also more comfortable, and when he checked himself out in the bathroom mirror, he noticed how snug it looked on his body. The navy blue and silver went well together, bringing out the grey in his own eyes more brilliantly. The only parts of the suit not blue or silver were his brown fingerless gloves and the brown leather straps that went over his shoulders and under his arms to link together on his back, holding the magnet that would allow Jon to keep his shield safe if he wasn't using it.

  
Jon sighed before stepping out of the bathroom, grabbing his shield on the way out and attaching it to the magnet on his back before leaving his apartment. He knocked on the girls' door and waited a few minutes before he was leading them down into the elevator.

  
“Nice suit Cap,” commented Aya as she grinned mischievously.

  
“It looks good on you, you should wear it more often,” added Sonny, and her smile was a little more genuine than Aya's.

  
“Thank you,” said Jon.

  
From the corner of his eye, Jon could see Shohei trying to hide a smile as the girls continued to banter and tease Jon about how ‘heroic' he looked.

  
The teasing continued right up until they arrived at E.D., and then they stopped. But Jon's new outfit only served to draw the attention of just about everyone in the building, and Jon caught more than a few people trying take sneaky photos of him. Without a doubt, those photos were going to be circulating around the internet and go viral within minutes, but Jon wondered if that was Wu's plan the whole time. It'd make sense, with the White Wolf walking around in a brand-new suit would send E.D's popularity skyrocketing. Though Jon didn't know how to feel about being another person's poster boy.

  
Haruna met them in the lobby, but she only had time to give them all quick hellos and hugs for the girls before she was almost dragged away by Shohei towards an elevator for her interview and rehearsal for her solo. Jon took the others to another elevator up to the dance studios, and though the girls weren't going to practice until after their photoshoot, they spent the free time simply talking. And boy, there was a lot of it. Jon had thought that having lived in the same apartment together for several years, they'd have run out of things to gossip about, but apparently not. They'd been talking amongst themselves for nearly an hour when suddenly Jihyun said something and pointed to Jon.

  
“Jon, Jihyun asked you a question,” said Sonny.

  
“Huh?” said Jon.

  
“She asked what happened to your old suit? The one that you wore in all the war photos,” iterated Sonny.

  
“Oh! Um... that is an excellent question,” said Jon. “I actually have no idea where it is. I thought I brought it with me but I think our boss might have swapped it at some point with this one.”

  
“That's a shame,” muttered Brenna.

  
Jon smirked then looked at the clock on the wall. “We should probably head down to meet with Haruna,” he said. The girls all stood up from the floor and followed Jon back to the elevator. Once on the floor where the girls would get their photos taken, they were taken away from Jon to get their makeup and outfits ready, leaving Jon to stand in the corner awkwardly with his hands gripping his belt buckle. Haruna came in about five minutes later, and Jon could see that she was already tired, even though she was hiding it well.

  
It took nearly a whole hour before the girls were deemed ready to begin their photoshoot, and Jon thought he had seen everything during the war, but this was on a whole new level. Cameras were flashing from all directions, multiple people shouting for the girls to change poses, and every so often one of them would leave to change into a new costume. It reminded Jon of before he was sent into the field after going through the experiment, where he spent nearly six months doing the very same thing the girls were going through. He had hated doing it with a passion then.

  
Which was why, when one of the translators came up to Jon and told him to get in front of the white screen with Velvet Thunder, his temper flared up.

  
“What?” he asked in a ruder tone than he intended.

  
The translator blanched slightly before she repeated, “We need you to take some photos with the girls.”

  
“I'm their bodyguard, not a member of the band,” said Jon.

  
“But Mr Wu said that you’re wearing your suit because you agreed to take photos?” said the translator.

  
“Did he now?” said Jon in a low voice. “I'll have to have a talk with him about it later.”

  
Nevertheless, despite his feelings, Jon decided to be the peacekeeper and soldiered on to the platform to join the girls. Sonny gave him a sympathetic look as he took his place in the middle of the group, and for the next half an hour, was subjected to a humiliating session of being commanded to pose this way and that. Take your shield off your back and wear it on your arm, out it away again, have the girls grab your biceps while you cross your arms over your chest. Take a photo with each girl separately like you're their guardian angel.

  
Jon had probably had his photo taken about a million times when the first memory came. As the camera flashed, he thought it was a bomb going off, and he instinctively flinched. Another flash, and Jon's mind thought he heard a man screaming in agony. He began to panic slightly on the inside, but his mind automatically went into war mode, where he would compartmentalize his emotions. Without another thought Jon stopped posing and stepped away from the girls to find the source of the screaming. He needed to help the man for Seven’s sake! He wasn't aware of the fact that somebody was tugging on his arm until it became more forceful, and he turned around to see Sonny looking up at him with a concerned expression.

  
“Jon? Are you okay?” she asked.

  
“I...” Jon trailed off when he realised that everyone was looking at him with various expressions on their faces. His fists were balled into fists, and every muscle in his body was tense with anticipation, coiled like a snake right before it struck its prey.

  
“I think we should take a little break,” suggested Brenna from behind Jon and Sonny. No one argued, though the director of the photoshoot looked a little disgruntled as he hopped of his stool towards the food table.

  
Sonny held onto Jon's arm as she led him over to a nearby chair in the corner away from the noise before gently pushing him down into it.

  
“I'm going to grab a bottle of water for you, are you gonna be okay?” she asked.

  
Jon minutely nodded his head, and Sonny left at a brisk pace. Jon felt a little confused however. He wasn't sure what had just happened, but it seemed a little like what he had seen happen to some soldiers who had been through a bit too much. Post-traumatic stress disorder, doctors called it. But Jon had never had an episode before and thought it was because of the super soldier serum that kept his mind sharp and healthy. But maybe the doctors were wrong on that.

  
Sonny returned with the promised bottle of water and handed it to Jon before she crouched in front of him. He was aware that she was watching him intently as he took quick, methodical sips. The more he drank the calmer his nerves became, and he felt himself loosen slightly.

  
“Do you want to talk about what happened?” asked Sonny.

  
“I'm not sure what to talk about,” said Jon. “I thought I was back Beyond the Wall for a second, and the next thing I know is you're pulling on my arm.”

  
“That doesn't sound very good,” said Sonny.

  
“It happens to a lot of men who go through the stuff we endured during the war, I just didn't think it happen to me,” admitted Jon.

  
“You're still human Cap, in spite of your physical superiority,” said Sonny in an empathetic tone. Then she patted him on the shoulder encouragingly.

  
“Thanks,” said Jon. Sonny smiled but didn't reply, and just then Haruna came over, looking a little annoyed.

  
“They want us back up there,” she said. “They want a few more photos with Jon before they get started on individual shoots.”

  
“But he's not ready,” said Sonny.

  
“That's what I told the director, but he's being an ass about it,” sighed Haruna.

  
“Language,” Jon chided without thinking. Haruna raised an eyebrow at him, and it took him a moment to realise that he had just told off a grown woman for using inappropriate language.

  
“Geez, how old are you?” said Haruna with a roll of her eyes. “Come on, we should probably head over before the director pops a vein in his forehead or something.”

  
Sonny helped Jon up (not that he needed it, but Sonny seemed to have taken on the roll of his babysitter) and they followed Haruna back up onto the platform.

  
The second time around wasn't so bad, as the director simply asked for the six of them to play around and be silly, and some inflatable props were handed out to add to the fun. Initially Jon had a hard time getting into the mood, but the five girls' laughter and shenanigans was infectious, and he soon forgot about his bad mood or incident as he too started laughing and joining in on the fun. There was teasing, lots of smiling and laughing as everyone pulled silly faces and told bad jokes, and at one point all five girls hung from Jon's arms as he lifted them all up with relative ease, earning laughter from all the people behind the scenes.

  
Eventually, the director called time on the photoshoot, looking satisfied with the work. Jon was still chuckling alongside Aya and Brenna when he came off the platform, though he quickly grew serious when he remembered that he had to speak with Wu. Fortunately for him, the oldest five girls had to take their interviews, though that meant that Haruna was free until the others finished. As the others departed with Shohei shadowing them, Jon approached Haruna.

  
“Do you have any plans now?” asked Jon.

  
Haruna shrugged. “No, I've got nothing better to do, what are you up to?” she said.

  
“I need to speak with Wu about some stuff,” replied Jon.

  
“I'll come with you, if that's okay with you,” offered Haruna.

  
Jon gave her a small smile and tilted his head towards the exit, and they walked side by side in silence to the elevator. Neither spoke for a moment once inside the elevator, until Haruna turned and looked at him.

  
“You had a PTSD episode in there, didn't you?” she said rather abruptly.

  
“Excuse me?” said Jon.

  
“A PTSD episode,” repeated Haruna. “My dad's been struggling with it for nearly a year now. It usually happens whenever he gets surprised by something or he hears a really loud noise.”

  
“Your father fought in the war?” asked Jon.

  
Haruna nodded her head. “He was a sniper in the Vale division of the special forces. He said he actually met you briefly once, but he didn't say when or where. Apparently you saved his life.”

  
Jon frowned slightly. He'd worked alongside all of the Westerosi special forces, including the Vale's. It was possible he had run into Haruna's father, but he'd met so many people during that time he doubted he would remember if he saw the man.

  
“You said your father’s been having episodes for a year,” said Jon. “How do you know that?”

  
“He had to come home after he was seriously injured, but I think he'd been struggling with PTSD for a while before that,” answered Haruna. “He's gotten a little better though. When he first got home he would wake up screaming every night and scare the whole family. But my mum tells me that it only happens every few weeks or so these days.”

  
“How does your dad cope?”

  
“He goes to see a shrink once a week. Apparently the person he sees specialises in post-war veterans.”

  
Jon thought on that for a moment. If he did have PTSD, it might be a good idea to go see a professional.

  
“If you'd like, I can talk to my dad and ask him about the doctor he sees in case you want to see them,” continued Haruna cautiously, seeming to read Jon's mind. Jon was touched by the gesture of concern. Seriously, why was everyone in Yi Ti so nice?

  
“I'll take that into consideration,” he said. Haruna beamed up at him.

  
The elevator stopped on the top floor to let them out, and once again the two of them fell into silence as they headed towards Wu's office. Once there, Jon stopped at in front of the door.

  
“Is it alright if you stay out here while I talk with Wu? I won't be too long,” he said to Haruna.

  
“No problem,” said Haruna before she went and sat down on one of the couches lazily and pulled out her phone.

  
Jon made sure that the young woman was okay before he opened Wu's door without knocking. The head of E.D. was in there, looking through some papers at his desk, but he paused and looked up at the intruder.

  
“Ah! Captain Snow!” said Wu happily. “What can I do for you?”

  
“You can start by telling me why the hell you thought it would be a good idea to drag me into a photoshoot with Velvet Thunder,” said Jon forcefully, his temper flaring up.

  
“Publicity,” said Wu, seemingly unbothered by Jon's obvious frustration. “There's going to be some big changes happening to Velvet Thunder, and what better way to build excitement for that by having the White Wolf himself endorsing it?”

  
“I thought I was brought all the way out to Yi Ti because your biggest stars are the targets of some insane cult, not to be some object you can exploit at will,” snapped Jon.

  
“You were, and from what I've heard, you've been an excellent chaperone to the girls. They have nothing but praise for you,” said Wu. “But this is show business Captain. In order for us to thrive as an entertainment industry, we need to have an upper hand over the other companies. You being here and seen interacting with Velvet Thunder as if you were their friend and not just as a moody bodyguard helps bring in that revenue we seek.”

  
“So this is all about money?” said Jon.

  
“Of course it is,” said Wu.

  
“So the safety of these girls means nothing to you?”

  
“I didn't mean it like that,” backpedalled Wu in a slightly louder voice to match Jon's. “Of course their safety is paramount, but I still have to think of the company as a whole. And besides, surely you didn't agree to our offer to look after the girls simply out of the goodness of your heart?”

  
Jon remained silent. If he said that he didn't care about the money at all, Wu wouldn't believe him, but if he said that the money was important to him as well, it would betray everything he stood for. Wu seemed to take the silence as the second option, because he grinned.

  
“There was nothing in our agreement about me doing publicity stunts,” Jon said instead.

  
“Realistically Captain, this whole thing is a publicity stunt,” countered Wu. “While yes, the threat is possibly very real, not many people outside of the know will see it that way. They only see it as me trying to boost the popularity of my company by hiring Westeros's Golden Boy as my most popular group's lap dog. I'm sure it was the same when you first received your gifts and did all those promotional videos at the start of the war.”

  
Jon really wanted to argue the contrary, but he knew that Wu was right. As much as Jon wanted it to be any different, unfortunately in the normal world, everyone had an agenda. And usually that agenda involved getting to the top of the social and political hierarchy. It was the same as when he joined the military. Some politician named Baelish had used Jon as a way to curry favour with the higher ups and to gain more support for when he would eventually try to run for president. Thankfully Senator Arryn had pulled Jon out of there and sent him to do what he was made for before things could get out of hand.

  
“Next time you want me to have my photo taken, don't spring it on me,” Jon settled on saying. “And give me the option of being able to deny if I don't want to do it.”

  
“Done,” said Wu easily. “Is there anything else you need Captain?”

  
“No,” said Jon, and he felt his jaw ticking slightly as he stormed out of the office. Haruna was still waiting for him, and she stood up quickly when she saw him come out.

  
“It sounded pretty heated in there, is everything okay?” she asked.

  
“Everything's fine,” Jon gritted out.

  
“Really? Because it looks like you want to throw an entire car,” pointed out Haruna. “Which I totally believe you could do.”

  
Despite himself, Jon laughed. “I'm not that strong,” he said.

  
“I'll believe it when I see it,” replied Haruna easily with a shrug.

* * *

Two weeks after the photoshoot, Haruna released her first solo, and another week later, her official introduction into Velvet Thunder was announced along with a few photos that were taken that were put in an entertainment magazine. The internet blew up with the news, and Haruna's music video received over three million views within the first twelve hours. It seemed as though everybody in the entertainment industry was talking about it, and Jon himself had received over a dozen phone calls from Aegon and Sansa asking him for the inside scoop. The atmosphere of the entire company was charged with excitement, and Jon too was feeling it. Haruna began practising with the other girls in their studio, and they had taken to Jon's training sessions well.

  
Though they still had a long way to go before they were good enough to hold their own in a fist fight, the disciplinary side of the training was helping them get in touch with and control their powers better. Now, most of the time their fox auras wouldn't show in photos, though apparently it had been a nightmare for the editing crew to remove the magical signatures from the big photoshoot's images as they hadn't been as much in control then as they were now. Jon was impressed and proud of how quickly the girls caught on to everything he taught them.

  
But then, everything seemed to go downhill within a matter of days. It was only a few weeks before Velvet Thunder was supposed to begin their world tour, and Jon was sketching in his notebook when someone started pounding on his door frantically. Instantly his mind went into battle mode, and he dropped the book and pencil before grabbing his shield and running to the door. He opened it to see Aya looking flustered, her cheeks red and her hair messy.

  
“Haruna... she's... she's having a meltdown,” the petite girl breathed out.

  
“What do you mean?” asked Jon.

  
“Just come and see,” said Aya. Jon followed her into the shared apartment, and in the back of his mind he realised that this was the first time he'd ever done so. It was much more spacious and designed so that several people could live in it at one time, with multiple bedrooms, a bigger living room, kitchen and dining room. There were lots of photos everywhere, and the kitchen counter was littered with ingredients and wrappers.

  
Aya led Jon into a second living room, where Jihyun and Sonny were sitting on either side of a sobbing Haruna while Brenna furiously texted on her phone. The three older girls all looked up when Jon and Aya entered, and Sonny gave Jon a pleading look.

  
“What happened?” asked Jon.

  
“This,” said Brenna before she handed him her phone. On the screen was a news article titled ‘_Velvet Thunder loses its Lightning with New Addition.’_

  
_‘In a startling turn of events, this past week E.D. Entertainment's Velvet Thunder released a statement alongside the unexpected announcement of E.D. trainee Haruna Smith's addition to the international hit Y-pop group. _

  
_Fans and critics alike were all curious as to the decision behind the sudden move to add the Vale native to the already-hugely successful group, which consists of members Jihyun Lee, Brenna Park, Sol Jeong and Aya Murakami. E.D. CEO Andy Wu said that, “Miss Smith has always been one of E.D.’s more promising trainees, and is surely one of the most talented young women we have had the privilege of working with. In considering what to do with her, we came to the decision to place her in one of our already-existing groups instead of debuting in a new group, where we believe that under the tutelage of our more experienced girls will surely come into her own as one of the music industry's best and brightest stars.”_

  
_With such a surprise in the Y-pop industry, many fans speculate that something has occurred behind the scenes that officials are not revealing. Many believe that last month's earlier announcement from the same company of war hero/super soldier Captain Jon Snow AKA the White Wolf as Velvet Thunder's personal bodyguard and Haruna Smith's induction into the same group more than coincidence. _

  
_“Oh, it's totally related,” said concerned fan/Thronetube star Joffrey Baratheon. “Sure, we've heard Haruna's name pop up more than a few times already, but the fact that she's suddenly joining the biggest girl group in Y-pop at the same time that the White Wolf shows up in Yi Ti? I wonder if she's been currying favour with Westeros's greatest hero to boost her own popularity.”_

  
_Unfortunately, Baratheon is not the only one of this opinion. While Smith's music video ‘Superstar’ has already reached over fifty million views in its first week, some have outright spoken against her first solo, when the other veteran members of Velvet Thunder have yet to release their own solos._

  
_“Oh, she's either paying the top dogs in E.D. with money or through other favours to get what she wants,” said one concerned fan who has asked to remain anonymous, while others believe that a new addition into Velvet Thunder will upset the dynamic and trends of the once-four woman group._

  
_Regardless, with Velvet Thunder's ‘Outspoken' world tour only weeks away, many are curious to see how Haruna Smith will do within the next couple of months._

  
“This is horrible!” exclaimed Jon once he was finished reading the article.

  
“And that's not the worst of them,” said Brenna as she took her phone back from Jon. “There are a lot of other websites saying far meaner things.”

  
“Is there any way to stop this?” asked Jon.

  
“Not really,” said Aya. “Wu can pressure the agencies into retracting a lot of their stories on this, but that won't stop more from showing up and causing more damage.”

  
Jon felt completely out of his element more than ever at this moment. While he was sure that there had been people who criticise him during the war, he'd never been exposed to it as he'd been out fighting real battles instead of trying to cause domestic contention like these journalists seemed to be trying to do currently.

  
“This is all my fault!” cried Haruna.

  
“No it's not!” insisted Sonny as she rubbed Haruna's back comfortingly while Jihyun played with the younger girl's hair.

  
“If I wasn't some kind of freak, you all wouldn't be getting all this heat on your backs,” insisted Haruna however.

  
“We've been dealing with haters for years now, it's nothing,” waved off Brenna.

  
“And you're not a freak, you're just like us,” assured Sonny. The five girls then broke out into speaking Yi Tish, leaving Jon completely in the dark as to what was going on. When Sonny looked up at him to give him a significant look, he returned it with a confused shrug, silently asking her on what he should do. When she tilted her head towards the still-crying Haruna, he sighed, placed his shield carefully down against the side of the couch and walked over to the group.

  
“Hey, don’t worry about it,” he said as he crouched down in front of Haruna.

  
“How can I?” wept Haruna.

  
“Well, you can start by cleaning yourself off,” began Jon. “People already know you're talented, even if the people who don’t like you won't admit it. But the best way to stop them from trying to tear you down is to give them no reason to. Show them that all of this hate doesn’t faze you, and when we go on tour, show you're just as good as these other girls you'll be on stage with.”

  
“That's going to be hard,” said Haruna weakly.

  
“No it isn't. We already love you and think you're amazing,” said Aya.

  
“You fit right in with us,” added Sonny.

  
“Yeah, the only one here who's a freak is Cap, he's a freaky lab experiment!” joked Brenna. That brought a smile out of Haruna, and she wiped away her tears roughly before sitting up straighter.

  
“You're right, I shouldn't let this get to me,” she said in a stronger voice than before, her eyes gleaming with a steely look.

  
Jon smiled at Haruna's newfound determination, and he stood up again. “If you need anything, I’ll be in my-“ he began, but there was a loud bang that interrupted, followed by the sound of the front door opening. A couple of the girls let out a squeal of fright, and Jon swiftly grabbed his shield. “Stay here,” he ordered the girls.

  
However, Jon didn’t need to leave the living room, because suddenly Shohei appeared, looking sweaty and exhausted. Jon was about to relax, until he took in more of the other man's appearance. Shohei's suit was torn and dirty, his tie loose and white shirt underneath wrinkled and brown and red with blood. His face was covered in cuts, and his left eye swollen shut from bruising. He was clutching his right arm over his chest tenderly, suggesting that it was either sprained or broken, and as Jon came closer, he realised that Shohei smelt horrible.

  
“What happened?” asked Jon as he helped Shohei down onto the couch. The other girls moved out of the way to give him space, and Shohei grunted from the exertion.

  
“Ambush. Someone's been following us,” he panted. “I think they thought the girls were with me.”

  
“Who did it?” asked Jon.

  
“Assassins, a lot of them,” said Shohei. “I had to escape through the sewers to get here.”

  
_Well that explains the smell,_ thought Jon. He looked over to the girls and said, “Get me some bandages.”

  
Brenna quickly attempted to leave the room, but Shohei called her back.

  
“No! Stay together, it's dangerous still,” he pleaded. Brenna paused and looked to Jon for advice, but while he thought that Shohei needed help immediately, he nodded his head. Brenna went back over to join the girls again as Shohei pushed himself back up despite Jon's protests.

  
“You need to rest,” he urged.

  
“It doesn't make sense,” mumbled Shohei.

  
“What doesn't?” asked Jon.

  
“There was no way they could have known who or where I was,” said Shohei in a confused tone. “The only way they could have was if...” he trailed off, and his eyes widened in realisation.

  
“If what?” pressed Jon.

  
“If someone- ARGH!”

  
The glass window behind Shohei exploded as bullets flew through. They struck Shohei in the back and out of his chest, spraying blood everywhere in pink clouds and he dropped to the ground with a loud thud as the girls all screamed in fright. Jon quickly jumped over to the girls and tackled all five of them down to the ground and raised his shield over them protectively. When no more bullets flew into the apartment, Jon quickly made sure the girls were okay before he crouched down and moved back to Shohei. He grabbed the smaller man by the arm and dragged him away from the window, ignoring the blood that was staining the white carpet.

  
“Someone call emergency services!” yelled Jon. He heard someone dial their phone and begin speaking in Yi Tish, and he could hear crying behind him. He tried to stem the blood flow by putting pressure on the wounds, but Shohei had been shot so many times that he knew it was futile. Suddenly Shohei reached up, grabbed Jon by the collar of his shirt and dragged him down so that his ear was almost pressed against his mouth.

  
“E.D... compromised... trust... no one...” Shohei breathed out, before his grip loosened and he went slack. Jon looked down to see that Shohei's eyes had turned glassy and his body was limp.

  
“Damn it,” swore Jon. He quickly glanced out of the broken window to see if he could see the assassin, and he got a flash of silver that caught his eye from the rooftop of the building opposite.

  
“What the?!” exclaimed Sonny, and Jon looked up to see one of the neighbours holding an SMG and pointing it out of the window.

  
“I work for E.D.,” assured the neighbour in Common Tongue before he grabbed a walkie talkie and spoke into it. Jon looked back to see the silver gleam move, and then he noticed that it was attached to a person's figure.

  
“Hostile located. Tell them I'm in pursuit,” said Jon darkly before he sprinted out of the room with his shield.

  
Jon pushed himself as fast as he could, barrelling down the halls at speeds no normal human could reach. He brought his shield up every now and again to smash through doors before reaching the end of the hallway, and he jumped out of the window. He flew over the streets and crashed through the window of the opposite building, rolled on the ground and bounced back up before taking off again. He could see the assassin on an upper floor, running away at a similar speed to Jon. The assassin jumped out of a window and landed on a lower rooftop, but he was close now.

  
Jon jumped onto the same rooftop and threw his shield as hard as he could, and it flew through the air like a frisbee straight towards the assassin’s back. However, the assassin turned around at the last second and caught the shield one-handed with his left arm, which Jon realised was actually made out of metal. The assassin was dressed in all black light-armoured combat gear, his hair was dark red, curly and almost shoulder length, framing his face that was covered by a mask. His skin around his eyes was smeared with what looked like grease, which only made his cold blue eyes stand out even more.

  
Jon scowled at the assassin, who glared back before throwing the shield back at him. Jon caught the shield, and staggered back in surprise at the force, but when he looked up again, the assassin was gone. Jon quickly sprinted over the edge of the roof, but there was no sign of his quarry. It seemed as if the assassin had vanished into thin air. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jon deals with the aftermath of the night's events, and Velvet Thunder begin their world tour despite protests.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someone asked for reference to Velvet Thunder and its members. I'm basing the group's style itself off BlackPink, though the characters aren't entirely based off the members of the group, except for Aya who is pretty much Lisa. Sonny is based on Joy from Red Velvet, Jihyun is based on Jihyo from TWICE and Brenna is kind of an English-speaking Irene from Red Velvet, and Haruna is SOMI. Obviously they're not the real life people to a T, but these wonderful women are my inspiration for my characters. I'm still torn as to who I want Jon to end up with as well, but I think that it'll all unfold naturally as the story progresses. Right now it's a toss up between either Sonny or Haruna, but we'll see. Also Jon matches the decription given of him in the ASOIAF books rather than Kit Harington's portrayal of him, but of course built like Captain America.

The blood hadn't quite dried on the carpet, Jon noted. CSI and police officers crawled all over the apartment taking photos of everything they thought could be used as evidence. Broken glass, blood, dirt brought in from outside, anything really had a yellow note with a number on it. Off in the corner, the five girls were huddled together with blankets over their shoulders, looking as though they were merely an afterthought instead of the traumatized people they really were.

  
So Jon went over to them, propped his shield to the side and crouched in front of them.

  
“Did you catch the guy who killed Shohei?” asked Haruna.

  
“No, he got away,” said Jon regretfully. Then he took in the appearance of each girl and added, “I would ask if you were okay, but you all look terrible.”

  
“If that was your attempt at a joke, I'm about to slap you,” replied Brenna darkly.

  
“Sorry, bad timing,” said Jon. “But how are you, really?”

  
Sonny looked at each of the girls before shrugging. “At least we're not dead,” she said.

  
“But Shohei is,” said Aya quietly. The once-bubbly and slightly obnoxious girl looked so tiny and feeble underneath the blanket she shared with Jihyun. Jon wished he could do something to help, but he had never been good at talking to women, never mind women in distress.

  
“I always liked him,” said Sonny. “He was a nice person.”

  
“He was obsessed with Michael Jackson too. He'd play so much of his music we actually used to get annoyed at him for it,” added Brenna.

  
“He was pretty shy though. He could never get a proper sentence out whenever I talked to him,” said Haruna.

  
Jihyun said something that made the other girls agree.

  
“I didn’t know him well, but he seemed the loyal sort,” said Jon. “Did he have a family?”

  
“If he did, he never mentioned it,” said Sonny. “He was awfully private about it.”

  
There was silence as everyone remembered the man who had died to protect the five kitsune while police continued to mill about them. Jon was sure that if Shohei had been in the war, Jon would have gladly welcomed him as a friend. He already did consider him one, and wished that Shohei would find some measure of peace, wherever he was now.

  
“How do you do it?” Haruna asked suddenly.

  
“Do what?” asked Jon.

  
“You look completely unbothered by the fact that someone died right in front of you. How do you still seem so... normal?” clarified Haruna.

  
Jon frowned, and opened his mouth to answer, behind him, somebody cleared their throat to announce their presence. Jon looked up to see a tough-looking Yi Tish man with short black hair and a cigar in his mouth, wearing an ugly brown jacket and pants with an equally-nasty yellow tie. The man's appearance reminded Jon of a cop from one of those old cartoons he and Robb used to love watching. But despite his less appealing style of clothing, the man's shoulders were broad and he carried himself with a confidence that suggested the man knew how to fight.

  
Jon stood up and towered over the man, thought the man seemed unbothered.

  
“Captain Snow,” said the man in the thick Yi Tish accent. “I am Detective Uemori.”

  
“Detective,” greeted Jon, and the two men shook hands firmly.

  
“I understand you were present when Mr Shohei was killed?” asked Uemori. When Jon nodded, the detective continued, “Tragic thing really. I never met the kid in person, but Andy told me a lot about him.”

  
“You know Mr Wu?” said Jon.

  
“He and I were childhood friends,” answered Uemori.

  
That put Jon on the defence slightly. Shohei's last words were to not trust anyone in E.D., and Jon took that to including anyone affiliated with the company as well, even cops.

  
“Anyway, I'm sure you know the drill, I need to get a statement from you for the record,” continued Uemori. “Just tell me everything you saw and did.”

  
“Of course,” said Jon. “I was in here with the girls as Haruna was having a mild panic attack, but we managed to calm her down until Shohei came. He said that he had been attacked, but I wasn't able to ask who attacked him because somebody shot him through that window.” He pointed at the window.

  
“How many shots were there?” asked Uemori.

  
“Three. All of them hit Shohei in the back and killed him,” said Jon.

  
“There are drag marks on the carpet,” pointed out Uemori.

  
“I dragged Shohei out of sight of the window after he was shot in case the attacker tried to make a move again,” said Jon.

  
Uemori nodded his head thoughtfully and said rather bluntly, “Guess it didn't make much of a difference in the end, did it?” When Jon scowled at him, he added, “Sorry, years in this work can make you pretty insensitive to everything. I'm sure you'd understand.”

  
Jon did understand, but he had always tried his best to be understanding. Uemori seemed like he just didn't care anymore.

  
“Anyway. It seems you left quite the scene behind when you ran out in a hurry,” continued Uemori as he puffed on his cigar. “Busted down doors, cracked walls and broken windows in both this building and the one next door.”

  
“Sorry about that, I was in a hurry to try and catch the murderer,” said Jon. “But I can pay for the repairs?”

  
But Uemori just waved his hand uncaringly. “Don't worry about it. I'm sure nobody will mind when they find out the White Wolf was just trying to catch another bad guy.”

  
After a few more questions, Jon was free to go, but not before he managed to convince Uemori to not speak to the girls just yet as they still looked to be too disturbed. Uemori relented and said he would come by to E.D. later when they were in a better state of mind to get their statements. With that done, Jon went back to the girls, who hadn’t moved at all from where he left them. But as he approached, the neighbour from before intercepted him.

  
“Mr Wu has provided a vehicle for you to take the girls to another apartment further away from the city, near where you train,” he said. Jon noticed that the man still had his SMG, which was hanging over his shoulder by a strap.

  
“Can the girls grab some clothes?” asked Jon.

  
“All the supplies they need will already be there,” said the man before he walked away.

  
Jon frowned and continued on to the girls. “Go grab a bag each and fill it with whatever you need for a few days,” he said.

  
“What for?” asked Brenna.

  
“We're being relocated,” said Jon. “Now hurry, we don’t have a lot of time left.”

  
The five girls quickly jumped up onto their feet, removed their blankets and darted out of the living room to their bedrooms. They came out within five minutes, carrying large duffel bags that they were still carelessly shoving bags into and followed Jon out of the apartment, careful to not get in the way of all the police officers. Jon went into his apartment to grab his combat gear and put in a bag of his own before re-joining the waiting girls, and together they left the building.

  
The neighbour-guard-person gave the six of them disapproving looks when he saw that they had disobeyed him, but he remained silent and helped load the luggage into the back of the waiting van. He handed Jon the keys, and everyone but the neighbour climbed into the vehicle, with Jon driving and Sonny in the front passenger seat. The GPS had already been set to guide them to their new home, so all Jon had to do was watch and listen.

  
All was silent in the van for a long time. It seemed as though everyone was off in their own little world, including Jon, who was now busy thinking of the mysterious assassin and trying to assess him. He had no idea who the assassin was because he had been wearing the mask to conceal his identity, but Jon knew that he was no ordinary person. He was strong and fast enough that Jon had had to push himself to his limit to catch up to him, and he had a metal that was far beyond anything technologic he had seen. Jon wondered if the man was somehow genetically enhanced like he was, because that was the only explanation as to why he had been as good as he was. The thought that the assassin was a rogue White Walker commander crossed his mind briefly, but Jon shook that away. He'd personally seen to it that there were none of them left by the end of the war.

  
“Jon?” said the voice of Haruna from the back of the van. When he hummed to signal that he was listening, she asked, “Are you going to tell us how you deal with seeing... what we just saw?”

  
Jon had honestly forgotten about that question entirely. But as he thought on how to answer, he became keenly aware that every eye was focussed on him. Even Sonny had twisted herself in her seat so that her whole body was facing him.

  
“It's a little different for everyone,” Jon started. “Some have it come to them in nightmares or memories. Some become hardened and it becomes difficult to connect with them because of it. The smart ones seek help as soon as they realise that it's a problem. But some let it completely destroy them and they deal with it by drinking and ruining their lives.

  
“I think the real trick is to figure out how to deal with it individually and collectively. Group therapy sessions, meditation, trying to figure out what sets off any trauma and learning how to overcome it.”

  
“My dad goes to therapy sessions,” said Haruna.

  
“And he's one of the smart ones,” said Jon.

  
“So what do you do?” asked Sonny.

  
Jon paused for a moment. How did he deal with living with all the death and violence he had both seen and inflicted? Then the answer came to him.

  
“I see it as an opportunity,” he said finally. “I often think, ‘why was I given this burden?’ And the answer that comes to my mind is that I was given this because it gives me the chance to empathise with others who have experienced the kind of pain you see in war, because I've felt it myself. If I understand exactly what’s going on, I know exactly how to help others in the way I would want to be helped.”

  
His answer was met with more silence. Jon looked in the rear view mirror to see that the four girls in the back were all looking in different directions, looking thoughtful as they pondered over what he had just told them. When he glanced at Sonny he saw that she was staring back at him, looking as though she was seeing him in a new light. It unnerved Jon slightly.

  
“That's a pretty nice way of looking at things,” said Haruna finally. “I think I'll tell my dad about it the next time I call him, maybe it will help him.”

  
After that, nothing more was said until they arrived at their destination. It was a single, fairly large house, and because it was situated on the outskirts of Yin, it was more traditionally styled than the modern apartments and skyscrapers. It looked simple, but decent and the driveway was more of a small courtyard, with a second, sleeker black sports car already parked directly in front of two large sheds. The six of them all hopped out of the van and grabbed their bags before heading to the house's front door, which Jon unlocked with the key given to him.

  
The house was far more homely than the apartments, in Jon's opinion once he had dispensed of his shoes in the entryway. It was spacious, with a large kitchen, living and dining room. Jon suspected that more meals were going to be eaten on the couches in the living room than the dining room based on its set up. There were two bathrooms as well, and as Jon went further into the house, he saw the three bedrooms. The first bedroom was also the largest and had three beds, the second had two and the last, the smallest had one queen-sized bed. At the back of the house next to the laundry room was an entire recording studio, complete with guitars, a keyboard and even a drum kit. Jon wondered if this house was designed for artists employed under E.D. to stay at for extended periods of time, but then he also noticed how new the house and property were. It was like Wu had predicted that an attempt would be made on the girls' lives and needed a contingency plan.

  
“Pick a room,” muttered Jon quietly, but loud enough for the girls to hear before going into the smallest room and dropped his bag and shield on the ground unceremoniously. When he dropped his head, he realised that the shirt he was wearing was covered in Shohei's blood, so he grabbed a spare change of clothes, his toiletry bag and headed to the bathroom. He slowly stripped off his clothes and tossed them into a bin for dirty clothes before climbing into the shower with a water set to scolding hot.

  
Once he was done cleaning himself of the dirt and blood, Jon grabbed one of the many towels waiting and dried himself off before putting on a baggy pair of sweatpants and a grey singlet that was a little tight but fit. He brushed his teeth (not caring about making sure his hair was tidy as it was the end of the day) and opened the bathroom door, but he nearly bowled Sonny over.

  
“Oh! Sorry!” exclaimed Jon. He had almost taken Sonny clean off her feet with his brisk exit, but he managed to grab her arm to hold her steady just in time.

  
“No it was my fault, I was standing too... close...” Sonny trailed off as her eyes widened, then she ducked her head as her face turned bright red. Jon quickly realised that she was staring at his chest, and he suddenly felt extremely self-conscious as he lifted his toiletry bag to cover himself.

  
“I um... I'm gonna head to bed,” said Jon awkwardly before he shuffled around Sonny back to his room. He heard Sonny mutter something, but it was in such a quiet voice he couldn't understand what she said. Jon closed his bedroom door and grabbed his phone, only to see his notifications had blown up with several missed calls from just about every member of his family.

  
He decided to answer Rhaenys first, and was immediately met by unintelligible shrieking.

  
“Whoa, settle down Rhae, I can't understand you when you talk like that,” said Jon.

  
“Are you freaking kidding me?! I just found out a dude got shot in Velvet Thunder's apartment!” yelled Rhaenys.

  
“We're fine, everyone's just a little shaken up is all,” said Jon placatingly.

  
“Was anyone hurt?”

  
“The man who got shot, Shohei, didn't make it.”

  
There was a brief silence before Rhaenys muttered, “Shit,” under her breath, making Jon frown.

  
“He was a good guy,” he said quietly.

  
“Where were the girls during the whole thing?” asked Rhaenys.

  
“They saw the whole thing,” answered Jon.

  
“Poor girls,” said Rhaenys sympathetically. “What about you? How are you holding up?”

  
Jon shrugged before he realised that his sister couldn't see him, so he said, “I'm okay. I think I was getting a little complacent before this happened though.”

  
“Is that your way of saying it's your fault that man died?” asked Rhaenys pointedly.

  
“Well, I mean...” began Jon.

  
“Okay first of before you start acting like the patriotic man with all the responsibility for every living person, I' m going to stop you,” said Rhaenys. “I'm speculating this but, I heard that there was a shootout of some kind right in the CBD a couple of hours before your thing happened, but I'm guessing they were connected?”

  
Jon didn't know that there was a shootout, but it matched what happened to Shohei before he was killed. “Yeah,” he said.

  
“Where you while that happened?” asked Rhaenys.

  
“With the girls,” answered Jon. Goodness, sometimes he really wished his older sister wasn't so dramatic all the time and just got to her point.

  
“Exactly! You were doing your job, and the last I heard, you weren't the guy's bodyguard as well,” said Rhaenys. Jon sighed. He could envision the victorious smirk on Rhaenys’ face right now, and it annoyed him. Rhaenys had always made fun of Jon for always acting so melancholy when they were kids. He had, truthfully, acted like everything bad that happened in life was his own fault, and thankfully, despite her teasing, Rhaenys had always been there to tell him it wasn't his fault. Rhaenys’ big sister attitude had saved Jon, especially while Mum was sick and after she died.

  
“Jon?”

  
Rhaenys' voice pulled him out of his reverie, and he responded with a, ”Yeah?”

  
“I asked if you know who it was who killed your friend,” said Rhaenys.

  
“No idea, but there was something not right about him,” said Jon.

  
“What do you mean?”

  
“I mean that he was strong and fast, like me.”

  
Nothing but Rhaenys' breathing met Jon's answer for a moment. Then, “Shit.”

  
“Come on Rhae,” chided Jon, feeling exasperated that it was her second time swearing.

  
“Oh stop being such a boy scout for once,” huffed Rhaenys, “Besides, I think this constitutes as appropriate usage of inappropriate language, don't you think? Another super soldier?!”

  
“We don't know if this guy is,” said Jon. “As far as we know I'm the only one.”

  
“Only one out in public, you mean. Who knows how many shady organisations have tried to replicate you,” corrected Rhaenys. As bad as it sounded, it was unfortunately probably true.

  
“Do you think you can find out some info on this guy?” asked Jon.

  
“I'm sure Dad's got some friends who can look into it, but I'll need a description of the guy,” said Rhaenys thoughtfully.

  
“About my height, wears black combat gear, mask, long red hair and a metal left arm,” said Jon.

  
“Mhm, gotcha,” said Rhaenys.

  
“And I don't need to remind you not to tell Dad about this, right?” said Jon.

  
“My lips are sealed,” promised Rhaenys. “Is there anything else you need?”

  
“No, I'm good for now,” replied Jon. “Hey, I gotta call some other worried family members so I'll call you back later, okay?”

  
“No problem little bro,” said Rhaenys. “Take care of yourself and those girls, I don't think Aegon would make it through the night if he finds out something happened to them.”

  
Jon chuckled before hanging up, then proceeded to call Aunt Cat (and by extension the rest of the Starks), Sam, Gendry and even Tormund, who spends the whole time making fun of the fact that Jon was now living with five girls all by himself.

  
Once he was done with reassuring all of his friends and family back home that he and the others were okay, he finally went to bed.

* * *

Jon was thankful that he was wearing his gloves, otherwise the glass cup he had been holding would have sliced open the flesh underneath. His jaw was ticking incessantly and he was giving the man sitting across from him a glare that had been known to intimidate the most hardened war veterans. To his credit, Wu remained as calm as ever, but Jon could see the beads of sweat forming on his temple and forehead. Both men ignored the warm liquid that was dripping down Jon's hand as they continued to stare each other down.

  
“The girls aren't ready,” said Jon lowly.

  
“I'll be the judge of that,” replied Wu easily.

  
“They're not ready,” repeated Jon.

  
“Captain, I'm sorry but the tour must continue,” said Wu. “The girls are used to being swarmed by thousands of fans, they'll live.”

  
“Meeting overeager fans and watching a man die right in front you are two very different things sir,” insisted Jon. “They need time to recover and seek professional help.”

  
“And they can find all of that and more in between concerts,” said Wu.

  
“They're not resting. Do you know how many times each of the girls has woken up because of nightmares in the past two weeks?” snapped Jon as his temper started to get the best of him. “And if they're not woken up by their own screaming, they're getting woken up by the others!”

  
“I'll hire some psychiatrists to go on the road with you,” said Wu.

  
“Damn it it's not the same!” yelled Jon. He slammed his fist against the table, and he saw Wu jump slightly at the sudden noise.

  
Wu sighed and ran his hand over his face tiredly. “Look Captain, it's not that I don’t want to cancel the tour. If anything, I support you one-hundred percent. But this company has a board of directors, and they all outvoted me and said to continue on,” he said.

  
Jon reined in his anger slightly, but he snorted derisively. “Looks like you need a new board,” he said.

  
“If only it were that easy,” agreed Wu. He then handed Jon a file. “This has all the information you need on security for the tour. I’m giving you full control over the whole operation, so if you feel there's anything wrong or needs changing, nobody's going to argue with you about it.”

  
“That's a comfort,” muttered Jon. “Will anybody be replacing Shohei?”

  
“No,” answered Wu. When Jon looked up in surprise, Wu raised a finger to his lips, grabbed a remote and pushed a button. Music started to play mildly loudly inside the office, which would make it difficult for eavesdroppers to hear what Wu had to say next.

  
“Look, I know that going on tour immediately after something like this had happened sounds like a terrible idea, but I have aa source that tells me E.D. is being watched by unfriendly people, so I don't want anyone except for you getting too close to the girls unless they absolutely have to and they're in your line of sight” he said.

  
“Do you have any idea who?” asked Jon.

  
“I've managed to narrow it down to two groups so far,” answered Wu. “The first is a brotherhood of sorcerers called the Shadowbinders of Asshai. They've had an unhealthy obsession with kitsune in the past, with a particular fondness for Void Kitsune.”

  
“Haruna is a Void Kitsune,” pointed out Jon.

  
Wu nodded his head. “The Shadowbinders are unpredictable and very dangerous, and are the most likely suspects.”

  
“And the second?” asked Jon.

  
“Followers of R'hllor, the Lord of Light,” said Wu. “These guys are fanatics, obsessed with fire and its cleansing properties.”

  
“I'm familiar with them,” said Jon. There'd been a few worshippers of R'hllor in some of the battalions Jon had fought alongside, and while they were strange, he'd not thought much of it at the time. Now, they were suspects.

  
“Regardless, both factions are dangerous and should be treated with caution and suspicion,” said Wu.

  
“Understood,” said Jon. Then he stood up, placing the ruined glass on the table. He was still angry, but it was no longer directed towards Wu, rather he was now going to imagine that the punching bag he was going to beat down when he got back to the house was going to be the faces of the board members. “Is there anything else you want to talk about?”

  
“Yes, one more thing. At the concerts, I want you to be fully prepared for anything, which means you'll be wearing your suit,” said Wu with a meaningful look.

  
Jon was at least glad that his employer was now taking the safety of the girls as seriously as he was, so he nodded his understanding and left Wu's office. Sonny and Aya were waiting for him, looking tired but alert. They stood up when they saw him and fell into step on either side of him all the way to the elevator.

  
“Where's Brenna, Haruna and Jihyun?” asked Jon.

  
“Having lunch in the studio,” replied Aya.

  
“Okay. Let's go grab them and head back to the house,” said Jon.

  
They did just that, and a few hours later they were back on the outskirts of the city in their new home. The girls immediately set to packing their bags for the upcoming trip while Jon got out of his uniform and put on some workout clothes. He then headed out to one of the sheds with a towel and water bottle in hand, which had actually been converted into a workout room just for him, though he had seen Sonny and Haruna occasionally use it. There were dumbbells and a bench press machine, and a rack with enough weights to make a body builder green with envy, as well as a multipurpose cable machine. In one corner was a treadmill specially designed for Jon so that he could ran as fast as he could without breaking it. There was also a punching bag hanging from the wall with spares laying on the ground off to the side, and it was that Jon went to.

  
After strapping his wrists and hands, Jon began hitting the bag with light jabs. As he began a rhythm, Jon thought about everything that had happened since coming to Yi Ti. Dealing with arrogant, greedy businessmen who didn’t care about the health of their stars so long as the money kept coming in, having one of the few friends he made here murdered right in front of him and the girls, finding out that a super assassin was probably after them all on top of taking care of five girls who'd been through more in the last couple of weeks than most people do in a lifetime, adding to the fact that said girls were also supernatural fox spirits that could control the elements.

  
It wasn't fair on these sweet, innocent girls who wouldn’t hurt a fly to have to go through this. The more Jon thought about it, the angrier he got and the harder and faster his punches came until they were causing the entire shed to shake slightly from the impacts. But he wasn't even aware of it as sweat began to drip down his face, chest and back from exertion, all he could think of was how angry and frustrated he had been since coming. It had taken a murder for E.D. to realise how dangerous the situation was and actually take the necessary precautions to protect the girls, only to immediately force them to leave their new safety net to go into the wide and very dangerous world.

  
Eventually Jon, anger tipping him over the edge and forcing him to lose control, punched the punching bag so hard the chain it was hanging from snapped, the seams ripped and it went flying away from him. The heavy bag landed on the ground nearly fifteen feet away, spilling sand all over the floor. Jon stood still for moment, panting heavily before he went over, grabbed a new punching bag and with one arm, hoisted it up and hooked it to the chain before restarting his workout.

  
He barely started when suddenly he was aware that someone was watching him from the shed door. Jon glanced over, not once breaking stride and saw Haruna staring at him with a concerned frown on her face. She was wearing tights and a black sports bra, with her long dark hair tied at the back of her head in a simple ponytail, and in her hands she was holding a sweat towel and a water bottle. From the corner of his eye, Jon saw her slowly come inside the shed and head over to the treadmill before starting it up.

  
Except for the running of the treadmill and the loud thuds of Jon's fists against the punching bag, there was silence. Jon kept his emotions and strength in better check this time around, making sure each hit was deliberate and controlled so as to no ruin the bag like he did the first. Every now and again he looked over to Haruna, who seemed completely absorbed in her own workout as she changed from a brisk walk to a fast jog. Jon was fine with it really. Neither bothered the other, giving each other space to work out their own problems through physical exertion until the end.

  
Jon eventually stops, then grabbed his towel to wipe the sweat off his face and took a long draught from his water bottle. Haruna finishes her running around the same time, sweating and panting, her face red with exertion. She hopped off the treadmill and headed over to Jon, who was now busying himself with unstrapping his hands to free them.

  
“You got quite the punch on you,” she said.

  
“You saw me do that?” asked Jon, nodding his head towards the almost sand-less bag.

  
“Right as I came into the shed,” said Haruna.

  
Jon sighed. “I might have to pay for that,” he said.

  
“Don’t worry about it, we have four extras lying in here anyway,” laughed Haruna. Jon smiled, but said nothing as he finished unwrapping his hands before throwing the bandages onto the ground next to his discarded towel.

  
“I've noticed that you and Sonny have been using the gym a lot,” he said.

  
“I use it more than Sonny does,” said Haruna. “Everyone's been trying to find their own way of coping with... you know, and I think this has been working for me.”

  
“How so?” asked Jon.

  
“It keeps my mind off things, and usually by the time I'm done I'm too tired to have any bad dreams afterwards,” explained Haruna with a lost look on her face. She was staring at the wall, but Jon suspected that she was seeing something else instead.

  
“And what about when you're not working out or asleep?” questioned Jon.

  
“I haven't figured that part out yet. But keeping busy has helped so far I guess,” replied Haruna.

  
“I think that's important,” agreed Jon. “It's never good to get too idle, otherwise your mind goes places it shouldn't or doesn't want to.”

  
“Yeah,” muttered Haruna thoughtfully. Then she straightened herself up and asked, “So why do exercise? I thought that you didn’t need to?”  
“I don't,” affirmed Jon, “but it helps to clear my head, especially after a long day of dealing with idiots.”

  
“I hope you're not referring to the girls and I as idiots,” said Haruna.

  
“What? No! I meant-“ Jon cut himself off when he saw Haruna's wide smirk, and then he realised that she was simply raking the mickey out of him.

  
“Relax Boy Scout, I know who you're talking about,” laughed Haruna. “But I think the others and I have accepted that this tour wasn't going to be cancelled anyway. Besides, we wouldn’t want to let down our fans.”

  
Jon smiled softly at the smaller person in front of him. In spite of everything, she seemed more worried about others instead of herself. It was a testament to her strength of character, which Jon admired.

  
“Well, you're a whole lot more resilient than most people give you credit for,” he said honestly.

  
“Mum and Dad raised me right, I suppose,” said Haruna with a shrug. Then she looked at her watch on her wrist. “I need to take a shower and go to bed.”

  
“Agreed,” said Jon. Jon turned off the shed's lights before he and Haruna walked back to the house together. It was already late, and everyone else but them and Jihyun, who was on her phone doing a live session with her fans, were asleep. When Jihyun saw them, she waved and turned her phone so that whoever was watching her live could see the new arrivals.

  
“_Good workout?_” she asked in Yi Tish.

  
“_Tiring, but fun,_” replied Jon with a smile in the same language. Another upside to the super soldier serum was that it gave him an eidetic memory which extended to both his mental and physical capabilities. Because of that, Jon was picking up Yi Tish at an extremely fast rate, and while he couldn't hold a full conversation yet, he could understand most of what was being said to and around him now.

  
“_Want to say hi to my fans?_” asked Jihyun.

  
Jon shrugged and nodded his head before going over to join her while Haruna took off to the bathroom. He smiled and said hello to the phone, and instantly the comment section blew up with hellos, thank you for protecting Velvet Thunder and well-wishes. Jon recognised a certain Egg_Targ12 asking if it was true that he never wore shirts that actually fit him because he wanted to show off his muscles, and Jon could only roll his eyes and tell his brother to focus on work.

  
Jon then left Jihyun to herself before heading to have his own shower before heading to bed. However, he'd only been asleep for about an hour when a high-pitched scream woke him up. He immediately threw his blankets off of his body and leapt out of bed before rushing to help the source of the screaming. It was Sonny, who was still asleep in spite of her shrieks. She was clutching her pillow tightly and sweating profusely, her silk pyjamas soaked and her blankets tangled between her legs.

  
Jon quickly raced over to the bed, ignoring Aya and Haruna who had also woken up and tried gently shaking Sonny awake. When she didn't wake, his shaking became more frantic until he was practically jostling her, and then she started thrashing wildly. Jon used his superior strength to hold her arms down, but when she kept resisting, Jon yelled loudly in her ear to wake up.

  
Sonny's eyes flashed open, and she looked around wildly while breathing heavily as she tried to get her bearings. When her gaze settled on Jon, she let out a strangled cry before launching herself at him and began to sob. Jon automatically wrapped his arms around her tiny waist and pulled her close to his chest and held her tightly.

  
“It's okay, you're safe,” whispered Jon softly into the top of Sonny's head as she continued crying. He looked over to Aya and Haruna, who both appeared worried, but when he shook his head, they both dropped back into their beds and tried to go to sleep.

  
_This is wrong_, thought Jon. Sending the girls on a tour while they were all so emotionally fragile was downright cruel. They might as well have been locked in a cage full of ravenous wolves. As Sonny finally calmed down and fell asleep again, still holding on to him, Jon made a commitment to be the best person he could be for all five girls, like a brother to them all. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: Velvet Thunder has their first concert in Meereen, and Jon is surprised by how talented they really are on stage.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided on who my pairing is gonna be, but I won'tsay anything yet. However, the hints are a little stronger in this chapter.
> 
> Also I changed who I'm basing Sonny on. Instead of Rosé from BlackPink I am deciding to have her more like Joy from Red Velvet.

After living in Yin for three months, Jon didn't think that he'd be impressed by the size of any other city anymore. That proved to be true as he stared down at the city of Meereen from his hotel window. While Meereen was still much larger than King's Landing with over ten million people as opposed to King's Landing's four million, Yin was over triple the size of Meereen with over thirty-three million people. In the distance, Jon could see the three great pyramids, considered one of the wonders of the world alongside the Wall and the Titan of Braavos. They were huge and possibly taller than the Wall itself and almost as old, making them extraordinary sights to behold.

  
There was a commotion behind Jon, so he turned around to see that Brenna had unsuccessfully tried to bring her bags into the apartment by herself. She looked up at him with a sheepish grin, making Jon grin back. She was the first one up into the apartment, and seeing her struggle probably meant the other girls were having a harder time.

  
“Um, care to lend a hand?” said Brenna.

  
Jon chuckled and went over to help the smaller girl, easily lifting one of the bags up. Brenna sighed and offered him a grateful look before following Jon into the room assigned to her and Haruna. Jon put the bag down neatly before leaving Brenna alone to herself to go help the others, but not before asking her to give him a holler if she needed anything. Jon ended up doing the same for each of the girls, darting back and forth in and out of the apartment as he helped everyone get their things sorted.

  
Once everything had been settled in, Jon and the girls went back out into their private limo that was rented out for them and were driven to where the concert would be held in two days' time. It was a huge coliseum that went back as far as the ancient Ghiscari Empire, though of course it had been renovated into an arena where many sports games and concerts were held. Apparently, the coliseum could fit over fifty thousand people inside at one time, and the hype surrounding Velvet Thunder’s first concert promised that the arena would be packed full.

  
Already, people had worked hard to construct the stage and lights, and while Jon had never been to a concert in his life before, he could tell that Velvet Thunder’s concert was going to be an enormous spectacle. There were massive speakers on either side of the stage, as well as in various parts all around the coliseum, as well as two massive screens. Jon wasn't sure he'd ever seen a TV screen that size before, even the screen in King's Landing's Dragon Pit rugby field wasn't that large. Workers flitted around the arena, checking and double-checking to make sure that everything was perfect.

  
Soon, the five girls got up on stage to do a mic check as well as rehearse their concert. While they were doing that, Jon spoke ran a security meeting and gave the guards his instructions as firmly as he could without coming off as a pompous idiot while still trying to get his point across. To their credit, none of the security guards argued with his orders, and were willing to comply when ever he told them something needed to be changed. More guards in this section, less over here, they need a man on the top who can see everything. Every nook and cranny had to be covered regardless how ridiculous it may seem.

  
By the time Jon was satisfied with the security detail, the girls had finished (it took a couple of hours) and they were all ready to leave to explore the city. They started off by going to see the infamous Dragon Bay so that the girls could take photos. Jon read in a brochure that Dragon Bay was once known as Slaver's Bay until an ancient queen (one of Jon's ancestors) freed all the slaves, executed many of their masters and renamed the bay in honour of the three dragons she possessed. His aunt Dany had been named after that queen.

  
As Jon predicted, the five girls all took dozens, if not hundreds of photos both individually and together, while Aya had her video camera which she used to video the whole thing. One of her hobbies was making short movies, usually of the girls’ travels, and she had shown Jon a couple of them during the plane ride over. He'd been impressed and told her that if she ever got sick of being a famous Y-pop star she should get into filmmaking.

  
To Jon's not-so-surprise, the girls pressured him into joining them for the photos, and for the next half an hour, he was forced to endure selfies and candid shots with all five girls. Even though he was outwardly pretending that he was being tortured, Jon secretly enjoyed it, though he suspected that at least Haruna and Sonny knew he liked having his photo taken. Brenna tried to convince Jon to create his own Instagram account, telling him that he would get millions of followers and it would be a great way to get in touch with his face, but Jon had to placate her by saying that he would think about it. Knowing Brenna however, she would probably make an account for him whether he wanted to or not.

  
After the photos, they went onto a tour bus that took them around the city, which showed them all of the impressive sights like the many old coliseums scattered across the city, a huge mall that they stopped off at to grab souvenirs before heading off to the great pyramids.

  
Being inside the largest pyramid was just as amazing an experience as seeing it from the outside. The architecture was incredible for the ancient Ghiscari that built it, and the walls were decorated with a beautiful mural that told the story of Meereen's colourful history. Jon noticed that Haruna was holding a pencil and notebook, sketching something down into it. When he inconspicuously leaned over her shoulder to see, he was surprised to find a copy of the mural in front of them.

  
“Do you draw?” asked Jon. Haruna looked over her shoulder and smiled bashfully.

  
“A little,” she mumbled. “I found out how to occupy my time in between work and exercise. I've only just started doing it, so I'm not very good at it yet, but practice makes perfect right?”

  
“Right,” said Jon. “You know, I majored in art before the war. So if you'd like, I can show you a few things,” he then offered.

  
Haruna’s smile was warm as she replied, “I'd like that.”

  
The tour ended with them standing in front of the white marble throne on top of the tall dais. As Jon looked up at it, he imagined a woman resembling his young aunt wearing royal dresses as three tiny dragons skittered about her, looking every inch a queen.

  
“You know, one of my ancestors ruled Meereen,” he said quietly to Haruna, who was still standing next to him.

  
“Really?” said Haruna curiously.

  
“They called her the Dragon Queen because she brought back dragons into the world over a hundred years since their extinction,” continued Jon. “She used them to conquer half of my home country as well as fight back the Others in the second Long Night. But two of them were killed in the war, and the third disappeared after the queen's nephew assassinated her after she burned King's Landing. Historians say her final days were one of madness, which is why her nephew killed her. But he went into exile beyond the Wall after, supposedly broken and ashamed at what he had done because he loved her. I'm a direct descendant of the queen's nephew, he married his cousin to help secure her claim to the North when she called him back from exile.”

  
“You know a lot about your family history,” noted Haruna.

  
Jon shrugged. “My mother and father always said that you can't know who you are if you don't know where you come from,” he said.

  
“Well, my dad is a military man from the Vale and my mum a florist's daughter who moved to Westeros to escape a bad relationship,” said Haruna, a hint of humour in her voice.

  
“Sounds like your parents' story is like one of them old romance movies,” chuckled Jon.

  
“With all the drama in between,” drawled Haruna. “My mum's parents weren't to happy when they found out she was marrying some poor white boy, but they're fine with it now.”

  
“Guess you can't do much about something out of your control,” supposed Jon thoughtfully.

  
Haruna didn't respond to that.

* * *

A few minutes before the concert was set to begin, Jon was tense. Dressed out in his uniform exempting his protective mask. His shield was attached to his back, and his face was serious as he watched the girls get ready to get on stage. Above them, muffled beats and chanting could be heard, echoing in Jon's ears. The comm's link in Jon's ear occasionally activated as security filtered regular updates as to each guard's activities, as well as their observations.

  
He offered Aya and Jihyun a thumb’s up as they took to the stage, and once they were gone, Jon took his position backstage where he could see the girls and, if need be, have easy access to them in case of an emergency. His ears rang at the deafening roar that came from the huge crowd the moment Velvet Thunder arrived on stage, and the girls greeted them all with such enthusiasm it was difficult to imagine they were anything but sincere in their love for their fans. There was some talking amongst the girls as they tried to get the crowds pumped (not that they needed to really) before introducing Haruna. Jon knew that the newest member of Velvet Thunder was nervous about her first concert, but one wouldn't have guessed with how confident she appeared on stage with the others. It looked as though she'd been a part of them from the very beginning.

  
After introductions were out of the way, the concert began in full, starting with a real upbeat song that had the crowds bouncing up and down on their feet excitedly. The girls had altered most of their songs so that Haruna could sing along with them, and it flowed really well to the surprise of the fans. Jon smirked, after tonight, he reckoned that most of the critics surrounding E.D.’s decision to include Haruna in the biggest Y-pop group of all time would be eating their words.

  
Now, Jon had made it his mission in life to never get into Y-pop ever since he had found out he was going to be Velvet Thunder's bodyguard, and so far, he'd managed to live up to that. He'd grown up listening to classic and indie rock, with some hip hop and alternative on the side, but he loved old school music, thanks to his mother. But never anything electronic like most Y-pop songs tended to be. It was part of why he never went to nightclubs before the war (and also because no one ever wanted to hang out with the scrawny kid from Winterfell, excepting Robb and Arya). But this, this was a whole new genre he had been introduced to. It was loud and electronic, but so catchy that Jon started tapping his foot on the floor without even noticing. He wasn't sure if he liked the music because it was his friends’ songs or if he genuinely liked it, but he would have to look up some other songs later to confirm that.

  
The five girls came off stage after their first song to change costumes, though the second time around it was only Brenna who went back to perform her solo while the others waited. Sonny came up to Jon, looking like she was having a major adrenaline rush and a big toothy smile on her face.

  
“How was that?” she asked.

  
“It was really good,” said Jon earnestly. “I didn't know you all could perform like that.”

  
“That's because you've never seen us perform,” pointed out Sonny.

  
“Well, call me biased but I think you're all amazing, really,” persisted Jon. Sonny beamed up at him before hugging him, surprising the super soldier. Sonny quickly let go however and went back to her position with the others.

  
The night went on, and soon the concert wrapped up with a spectacular finale that had Jon's ears buzzing. After saying farewell to their Meereenese fans, the girls came off stage for the last time, high off the success of the night. Hugs were given to everyone, including Jon even though he tried to remain alert in case anybody tried anything. An assassination or kidnapping attempt would be most ideal at the end of the night when most people had finally let their guard down, but Jon wasn't having it. As quickly but gently as he could, he guided the girls to their changing rooms backstage and encouraged them to get dressed so they head out and greet fans, sign autographs, take photos etc. Before heading back to the hotel.

  
It went more smoothly than expected, and again Jon had a glimpse into the hearts of the girls, seeing that they truly did care for their fans. Aya was joking with some teenage girls while Jihyun was with Brenna and Sonny, taking photos with an almost-hysterical group of men and women. Jon could only shake his head and laugh at the sight of grown men almost crying at the sight of their idols. Haruna seemed almost standoffish, always hesitating and looking over her shoulder whenever people called out her name like she wasn't sure they actually wanted to see her. Jon offered her an encouraging smile, which seemed to steel her resolve and she dove right in with the others.

  
To Jon's complete shock, somebody started screaming his name, one of the younger girls in the crowd by the sound of it. Her screaming incited more chanting of his name, begging for his photo and autograph. Jon was so shocked that Jihyun had to come and pull him over by the arm to greet the awaiting masses.

  
“White Wolf! White Wolf!” chanted dozens of voices together. Jihyun let go of Jon, and he stood there awkwardly for about ten whole seconds before a woman about his age caught his attention. He didn't know why he was drawn to the woman, but he approached her carefully and smiled at her.

  
“Hello,” he said.

  
“Captain Snow,” said the woman in a heavy Meereenese accent. “My husband was in the 109th battalion. He said you rescued his entire squadron when they were pinned down by White Walkers. He couldn’t be here but I just wanted to say thank you for saving his life and the lives of so many others.”

  
Jon gaped at the woman slightly. He'd never really considered his actions during the war, but it seemed that the impact he had made was affecting the lives of others all the way out here in Meereen. He was humbled and shook the woman's hand, and he watched her disappear into the crowds. He shook his head and began greeting others, shaking hands and taking photos. One kid was dressed in a costume mimicking his, complete with a plastic shield, and Jon gladly took a photo with the kid.

  
Pretty soon a photographer was asking for Jon and Velvet Thunder to have a few group photos together in front of the fans. Jon felt hesitant and thought that he needed to get back to his job.

  
“It's just a couple photos Cap,” said Aya teasingly when she saw his distress.

  
“It's not that I’m worried about,” replied Jon as his eyes shifted over the sea of faces, looking for a threat that might not even be there.

  
“Come on, just a few and then we can head back,” encouraged Aya a little more gently this time, and Jon finally relented to stand in the middle of the girls. He placed his hands respectfully on the small of Aya and Haruna's backs, and as promised, the photographer snapped his camera a few times before giving them a thumb's up to say he was done. Jon sprang into action and guided the five girls over to the waiting van, and once they were safely inside he climbed into the driver's seat, punched in the address of their hotel into the GPS and drove away.

  
For most of the car ride, the girls chatted excitedly in Yi Tish, and Jon caught on that they were talking about the concert still based on the little Yi Tish he knew. But eventually their adrenaline levels died down and one by one, they fell into silence as exhaustion overtook them. Jon looked in his rear view mirror to see that Jihyun had fallen asleep with her head on Brenna's shoulder, who was on her phone, and Aya and Sonny both looked on the verge of falling asleep as well. Haruna, who was sitting next to Jon was staring out the window with a thoughtful look on her face, but her eyes were starting to droop as well.

  
Once back at their hotel, Jon led the girls up to their apartment, where they all quickly got dressed into their pyjamas and went to bed, exhausted from the day's events. Except for Jon, who took his phone into the lounge and video called Rhaenys. She answered on the first ring, and she had a serious look on her face. A serious Rhaenys was rare, but it meant that whatever she was about to tell Jon was serious.

  
“Any luck?” he asked, getting straight to the point.

  
“Not much, but it's enough for me to seriously worry about you,” said Rhaenys. “Did you just get back from the concert?”

  
“Yeah, but you were about to tell me something?” pressed Jon.

  
Rhaenys sighed and ran her fingers through her thick, dark hair tiredly. “My sources found a lead on your mystery man, and it's not good,” she began. “Most of the intelligence agency doesn't believe he exists, but the ones who do call him the Hunter. He showed up about three and a half years ago, and in that short amount of time has already racked up a high body count that have mostly been attributed to accidents or kills by other people.

  
“Nobody knows who the Hunter works for, but he's never failed a mission and never leaves a hint of his whereabouts, or anything really except for eyewitness accounts.”

  
“And now he's hunting foxes,” said Jon.

  
“And a wolf raised by dragons,” added Rhaenys. Then she added in a more worried tone, “Jon, I know who you are and I don't doubt your skills for a second, but this Hunter guy sounds like a serious issue.”

  
“We'll be fine,” assured Jon.

  
“Dude, the stories about this guy basically confirm he's just like you,” insisted Rhaenys. “You shouldn't underestimate him.”

  
“I'm not. I have come across him before, you know,” said Jon.

  
“I know, I know. I'm just worried about you is all,” sighed his big sister. Then she frowned. “You know, if we talked to Dad about this, he might be able to help.”

  
“We're not telling Dad,” said Jon vehemently. “He's got enough on his mind already.”

  
“He's on a six month holiday from work Jon, and he took that time off because he wanted to spend time with you,” said Rhaenys. “The only reason why he isn't is because you agreed to play babysitter to some girls who've probably never seen blood other than what comes out once a month.”

  
“You forget that they watched a man die right in front of them less than a month ago, which is more than I can say for you,” snapped Jon darkly.

  
Rhaenys visibly winced. “Crap, I'm sorry Jon. I didn’t mean it like that,” she said.

  
Jon scowled, but accepted the apology. “Do you have any other information for me?” he asked in an effort to change the subject.

  
“Not at the moment, but I'll let you know if anything comes up,” said Rhaenys.

  
“Who are you talking to?” asked a voice behind Jon. He turned around where he was sitting to see Haruna standing at the doorway, dressed in pale pink silk pyjamas with her hair down.

  
“My sister,” said Jon.

  
“Oh! Sorry, I'll leave you two to keep talking-“ started Haruna.

  
“No, no, it's fine,” assured Jon. “Actually, would you like to meet her?”

  
“Wait what? Who are you talking to?” demanded Rhaenys loudly.

  
“Come, say hello to my sister,” said Jon. He moved so that Haruna could sit down next to him.

  
“Hello,” said Haruna politely.

  
“Hi, I'm Rhaenys, and you must be Haruna,” replied Rhaenys in a friendly tone. “Geez, you're gorgeous. Are all Yi Tish people as attractive as you? Because I've never seen an ugly Y-pop idol in my life.”

  
“You're one to talk. Jon never told me that he had a super model for a sister,” laughed Haruna.

  
Rhaenys let out a light laugh. “Oh shit, Aegon's gonna be so mad when I tell I talked to a member of Velvet Thunder,” she said mischievously.

  
“_Rhaenys_,” said Jon exasperatedly.

  
“Oh shut up Golden Boy,” said Rhaenys. “Haruna, does he get upset whenever you girls swear?”

  
“Well, we don't swear much to begin with, but if we do he does. I just ask if he was born in the wrong century,” said Haruna.

  
“I like this one,” said Rhaenys with a wink in Jon's direction. “I look forward to meeting you in person Haruna.”

  
“Likewise Rhaenys,” said Haruna.

  
“Well, it's nearly time for me to get to work and it’s late for you, so I’ll let you go,” said Rhaenys. “Bye you two.”

  
“Bye Rhae,” said Jon.

  
Rhaenys hung up, and Jon turned to face the girl next to him. “What are you still doing up?” he asked.

  
“Couldn’t sleep,” answered Haruna.

  
“How come?”

  
“I'm still on a high, I suppose. It's a little weird though, because usually at this time I'm doing a workout to try and clear my mind but I'm pretty sure I already did one.”

  
“You all certainly looked like you were working out hard,” agreed Jon.

  
“Sure felt like it,” mumbled Haruna as she leaned back against the couch and closed her eyes.

  
Jon took that moment to study her. There were very few Yi Tish people living in Winterfell, and even less half Yi Tish in Westeros as a whole, so Haruna was something of an enigma to the super soldier. She definitely looked Yi Tish, with her fair skin, long, dark straight hair that went down past her shoulders. But there were also hints of her father's side in her as well. Her face was Yi Tish, but her eyes were wider like a Westerosi, and her figure was, well, more curvy than the typical petite body most Yi Tish women had. The combination of her parents' genes made her a very pretty woman, Jon couldn't help but note.

  
“What?” said Haruna without opening her eyes.

  
“Huh?” replied Jon in confusion.

  
“I can tell you're staring at me. Is there something on my face?” asked Haruna.

  
“What? No, I wasn't-“ sputtered Jon. But Haruna only laughed as she opened her eyes to look back at him.

  
“I'm only kidding Jon,” she giggled. “You really are a boy scout, aren't you?”

  
Jon chose not to answer that as he ducked his head to hide the blush creeping up his face. However, before anything more could be said, there was a flash of light that came from under the door of Sonny and Aya's room, flowing by the sound of glass smashing.

  
“What was that?” said Haruna.

  
“Wait here,” said Jon seriously, and he jumped up to his feet nimbly and slowly makes his way over to the bedroom. He opened the door and peeked inside, and his jaw dropped.

  
Sonny was laying in her bed, and she looked like she was in the middle of a bad dream as her eyebrows furrowed together while she moaned out pitifully. Her distress was manifesting itself as her blue fox aura was visible to the naked eyes, surrounding her like an ethereal bubble. Over her aura were tendrils of blue electricity that would every now and again shoot out and strike something, either shattering or burning it. Aya was hiding on the other side of her bed, her head every now and again peeking out before ducking again if a lightning bolt got too close to her.

  
“Haruna, go grab my shield,” ordered Jon without taking his eyes off Sonny. Haruna obeyed without question and disappeared down the hall for a moment before reappearing with Jon's shield. She handed it to Jon just as Brenna and Jihyun appeared, looking tired but confused.

  
“What’s going on?” asked Brenna in a croaky voice.

  
“Stay here, I'm going to grab Aya,” said Jon. He slipped into the bedroom, shield raised protectively and he began to make his way over to Aya. Her eyes never left Sonny, but Jon was careful as he approached the awake girl.

  
“Easy, up with me,” he said quietly while wrapping an arm around Aya's waist and hoisting her up onto her feet. Jon kept the shield between them and Sonny until back at the door, where Aya practically jumped into Jihyun's arms, shaking with fear.

  
Jon wasted no time and went back inside, this time on a course straight to Sonny. The poor girl seemed completely absorbed in whatever she was dreaming about as she cried out. She raised hand and a bolt of lightning shot out, straight for Jon. His shield took the hit, and there was a loud clang, a flash of light that had everyone's eyes squinting, but no harm was done. In a single bound, Jon jumped to Sonny bed before grabbing her by the arm and shook her.

  
“Sonny, wake up. Wake up!” urged Jon.

  
Sonny let out a whimper as Jon continued to shake her, and her aura grew more dense as the lightning around her became more erratic. Jon scowled deeply before deciding to do the unthinkable. He slapped Sonny across the face, and her eyes shot wide open. She pushed Jon back with force making him stumble backwards a little, and she let out a horrified scream that charged the air around her. Her aura shone so bright that Jon had to cover himself with his shield to protect himself from the intensity.

  
Eventually, the light died down enough Jon to chance a peek at Sonny. Her fox aura was still visible, but was fading quickly. Her hair was damp and her pyjamas drenched with sweat, and she was panting heavily, her eyes wild and feral.

  
“Sonny?” said Jon cautiously. Sonny's head whipped over to him, and her eyes widened in horror.

  
“Oh God, what happened?” she gasped. Her hands went to her face and she started crying, but Jon quickly dropped his shield and came over to her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders comfortingly.

  
“You were having a nightmare,” said Jon. “Whatever you were dreaming about was having an affect on your spirit. I think your fox magic thought you were in danger and reacted defensively.” Then he looked at Sonny deeply. “Do you remember what you dreamed about?”

  
“N-no,” stuttered Sonny. “But I remember feeling like I was in a lot of danger, we all were. Whatever was after me, it wanted the other girls as well.”

  
Jon scowled deeply as he thought about what Sonny had told him. She had dreamt that something was after her and the other girls, and her fox spirit had reacted as though she really was in grave danger. Jon had never been one to accept things as mere coincidences, and this occasion was no exception. The kitsune were in danger, and it seemed that something bad was about to happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: Velvet Thunder continues its tour in Astapor, Volantis and Braavos, and during a press conference, one of the girls has a panic attack that almost unleashes her power, and Jon has to stop it.


	7. Chapter 7

Astapor was a huge hit, just like Meereen had been. Ghiscari, being the country closest to Yi Ti, had been heavily influenced by the latter nation's culture and media in recent years, making them amongst Velvet Thunder’s biggest supporters. That was easily evidenced by the stacked crowds who came to see their concerts, and the same could be said for Volantis, the first destination of the Free Cities' part of the tour.

  
Volantis was the largest of the Free Cities and, like the others, hugely multicultural, with influences from Westeros, Sothoryos, and all the many countries located on Essos, even as far away as Dothrak and Asshai. People of all ethnicities hustled and bustled to and fro, either to work or see the many tourist sights. For once, Jon didn’t feel like such an outsider as compared to when he was in Yin, where he was at least half a head taller than everyone else and more heavily built. Here, he almost fit right in, though the fact that he was trailing behind five Yi Tish women with cameras filing them made their little group stand out a little more than usual.

  
As with Meereen and Astapor, the routine was pretty much the same. Arrive in the city, drop baggage off at hotel, see the sights, rehearse for the concert, attend/perform said concert and then go home. Ever since Sonny's dream after the concert in Meereen, Jon had been completely on edge to the point that he was triple-checking everything to ensure his charge's safety. He was treating Sonny's dream as a premonition ever since he read that Kitsune had that ability, and he wanted to prevent anything from happening.

  
Also, despite their best efforts, all five of the girls had episodes where they were unable to control their growing powers, and while nothing had happened in public yet, it was becoming harder and harder to explain why couches were being found with burn marks, or why the kitchen had suddenly been flooded. Haruna was struggling the most with her shadow powers, and most nights Jon had to wakeup the poor girl because she was constantly lowering the temperature in rooms to nearly freezing point without her even knowing. It left Haruna exhausted most days, and Jon felt helpless whenever he watched her down several coffee shots before taking to the stage.

  
“There are healthier alternative ways to staying awake,” Jon said to Haruna as he watched her doing exactly that right before the Volantis concert was about to start.

  
“I don't have time to do any of that right now,” argued Haruna. She moved to push past him, following the others onto the stage, but Jon grabbed her by the arm firmly.

  
“You don't have to keep doing this if you don't want to,” he said quietly.

  
“If I don't do this, none of those people waiting out there will respect me,” said Haruna.

  
“They already do,” insisted Jon.

  
Haruna rolled her eyes. “Look, we can argue about this after the concert, but right now, I have to go,” she snapped. “Now let me do my job and you do yours.”

  
Jon frowned, but he relented and let go of Haruna, who stomped off to join the other girls. He sighed, ran his hand over his face before taking his place. He kept his eyes on the crowds, trying to spot any suspicious behaviour. But his eyes were drawn to the girls as they sung and danced to their second song, and for all the wrong reasons.

  
Every now and again, there were flashes of light that surrounded the girls. To someone who didn't know what they were seeing one would think that it was coming from the lights above and around them, but Jon instantly recognised what it really was. Their auras were showing, flickering in and out of sight in swirling patterns of light and dark blue, yellow, fiery orange and purple just enough that it wouldn't draw too much attention. But Jon could see it, and so could anyone else who was searching for five kitsune instead of five Y-pop stars. Why were the girls suddenly showing off their powers? Jon had to do something before they accidentally revealed themselves to the whole world.

  
_Think Jon, think,_ thought Jon to himself. If the public found out about the girls' true capabilities, it would be more than just power-hungry cults and warlocks after them. Then an idea formed in his head.

  
Jon placed two fingers to the comm's link attached to his right ear and said, “Just got an anonymous tip. Possibility of a bomb threat.”

  
Immediately his comms burst with noise as all security rushed into action. Instantly the sound was turned off and the flood lights on, leaving everyone startled. Jon ran onto the stage to collect the confused girls and herded them backstage.

  
“What's going on?” asked Aya in a voice mixed with confusion and worry.

  
“I'll tell you later,” said Jon.

  
“_Can everyone please vacate the premises in a calm and orderly fashion, this is not a drill_,” said a voice through the loudspeakers.

  
Jon didn't stop, but his eyebrows screwed up in frustration when he saw that Haruna's purple aura was starting to appear again. He hurried the girls along faster, pushing past angry fans and paparazzi while ignoring their pleas to know what was going on until they were safely in their van and he was driving them away.

  
“What the _hell_ is going on Jon?!” demanded Brenna shrilly once they were a fair distance from the stadium where the concert was being held.

  
“There was a bomb threat,” lied Jon simply. Judging by the looks the girls were all giving him in the rear view mirror, they didn’t believe him for a second. Well, he'd never been a good liar.

  
“Bull,” said Brenna fiercely, saying what everyone else was thinking. “We know you've been paranoid about this whole thing for weeks, you would have already found out before the concert even began.”

  
When the others all looked at Jon expectantly, he sighed in defeat.

  
“There wasn't a bomb anywhere,” he admitted. “But there was a huge problem that needed to be dealt with.”

  
“What was it?” asked Aya.

  
“Your fox auras were starting to emerge,” answered Jon.

  
The girls looked dumbfounded for a moment, before they burst into an array of yelling.

  
“What?!”

  
“That's not possible!”

  
“We were in control, you must have seen something else!”

  
“You're all lucky that I spotted it when I did, because it was getting easier to see,” said Jon. He was trying to be calm, but it was proving to be difficult when he had five twenty-something year old women yelling at the back of his head.

  
“We were fine, our auras only appear if we're doing it on purpose!” insisted Sonny.

  
“So you're purposefully letting your spirits out in your sleep?” asked Jon bitingly. When no one answered him, he continued. “None of you are fully in control of your powers yet, and I think the stress of the tour is starting to make you lose what control you _did_ have.”

  
“But, but,” sputtered Aya as she tried to find something to say.

  
“But nothing. I'm not risking your lives on this tour, I don’t care what Wu or anyone else has to say about it,” said Jon.

  
“Well, we're fine now,” huffed Haruna.

  
“Haruna, you're _still_ glowing.”

  
Haruna and the other girls all gasped when they realised Jon was right. He guessed that it was because of his superior eyesight that he had seen it before they did, but now that he had pointed it out it was impossible to miss. Haruna worked on her breathing techniques to calm herself down, and eventually it worked and her aura faded away. Jon was seriously worried about her. She was struggling with control the worst, and he wondered if it had anything to do with the fact that the type of kitsune she was had been classed as an inherently evil creature.

  
“Was cancelling the entire concert really worth it though?” asked Aya in a disappointed tone.

  
“If it meant keeping you five alive, then yes,” answered Jon without hesitation.

  
“_But why?_” asked Jihyun.

  
Jon hesitated. He had yet to tell the girls that the Hunter, another genetically enhanced soldier was after them. But he supposed now was as good a time as any.

  
“Whoever wants your power recruited a very powerful individual to capture you,” he said. “He’s called the Hunter, and he's like me.”

  
“Like you how?” asked Sonny.

  
“My sources tell me that he went through a similar procedure to become a super soldier,” said Jon.

  
There was gasp (probably from Aya) as the girls took in this new piece of information.

  
“So are you saying we're screwed?” said Haruna.

  
“I'm saying that I'm not taking any chances,” corrected Jon. “The Hunter's already killed Shohei, I'm not gonna let him kill any of you either.”

  
There a brief moment of silence before Jon heard someone sniffle, and he looked over to see Aya and Sonny crying silently. He was little confused as to why they were suddenly so teary until Brenna said, “That’s probably the nicest thing anyone has ever done for us.”

  
Jon was again reminded that all five of these girls had spent almost the majority of their adolescence training at E.D., working towards one goal and one goal only. He doubted that they'd had many real friends before becoming a part of Velvet Thunder, which explained why they were all so close and had welcomed Haruna with welcome arms. They were just as lonely as Jon felt most days, so hearing that someone who they had met all of five months ago was willing to risk his life for them was probably both surprising and touching.

  
Gosh, Jon sometimes hated the price that came with being famous as he continued to drive back to the hotel.

* * *

Later that night, Jon walked to each room and peered inside to make sure that all the girls were okay. It had been a rough night, and while the girls had taken it all in stride despite their initial frustrations, he knew that they were upset that their concert had been cancelled. They'd already gotten a chewing out from their employers and had been threatened to be fired from E.D. the moment they got back to the hotel, and they were all rightfully upset and exhausted.

  
Jon was expecting a call from Wu any moment to give his own report on the night, and he wasn't looking forward to it. He tried not to think on that though as he peeked his head into Aya and Jihyun's room to find them asleep, their hair splayed out over their pillows. He sighed before closing their door again, and it was at that moment that his phone started to ring. Jon picked it out of his pocket and so that it was indeed Wu, and he groaned.

  
“Hello?” he said when he answered the phone.

  
“My board men want me to fire you after what you pulled tonight,” said Wu by way of greeting.

  
Jon sighed again and pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. “How bad is it?” he asked.

  
“It's a nightmare Captain. We've had to refund everyone’s money back, costing us tens of thousands!” yelled Wu. “Security also didn't find a bomb, by the way.”

  
“I told you I received an anonymous tip that-“ started Jon.

  
“Oh cut the crap Snow, tell me why you really called off the show,” snapped Wu angrily. Then, he added more softly, “Don't worry, this line is secure so no one will overhear us.”

  
“The girls were starting to manifest their powers on stage,” said Jon.

  
“Manifesting their powers how?” asked Wu.

  
“Their fox auras started appearing during the second song. I used the bomb excuse as away to get the girls offstage before someone else noticed it, and as far as I know nobody's said anything about it,” explained Jon.

  
“Damn it,” swore Wu. “Do you know why their magic is acting up?”

  
“No idea,” said Jon. “I don't know how or why it's happening, but they were in control of their powers before we left Yin, and suddenly it's like they've forgotten everything I've taught them.”

  
There was silence on the other end of the line, during which Jon spent the time admiring an artist's depiction of ancient Volantis. As a former artist himself, Jon appreciated the way the artist had combined realism and abstractness together, making the painting very unique and peculiar.

  
“We've decided that there will not be an encore in Volantis,” said Wu finally. “The tour's schedule is far too tight as it is and rearranging everything will be a bigger nightmare than the one we're already facing. But when you arrive in Braavos in two days' time, you'll be having a press conference explaining to the world why you decided to cancel one of the shows of the biggest tours the world has seen since Michael Jackson!”

  
“What do I tell them?” asked Jon.

  
“Use the bomb excuse, but make it more believable. Not many people these days believe in ‘anonymous sources,’ so you'll just have to tell the press that it was one of you military buddies who warned you or something.”

  
To Jon, that sounded even less believable than his original story, but he didn't tell Wu that. Instead, he suggested cancelling the tour all together, only to be met by raucous laughter from his employer.

  
“Captain, are you kidding me?! If I even suggest that to the board, they'll fire you, me and the girls, making us all open targets for whoever's trying to kidnap them!” scoffed Wu.

  
“But sir-“ began Jon.

  
“I won’t hear anymore of this Captain. The only reason why you're not already being shipped off back to the Seven Kingdoms is because I'm sticking my neck out for enough as it is, as well as the huge publicity you've been bringing in for the company,” said Wu firmly. “Have a good night.”

  
The line went dead, and Jon really wanted to throw his phone across the room. But that was petty and childish, so he settled on sighing for what felt like the millionth time and went into the living room.

  
“Rough chat with the boss man?” asked an amused voice from the couch. Jon saw that it was Haruna, so he went over and sat next to her. He let himself sink into the soft cushions and closed his eyes for a brief moment before looking at Haruna.

  
“Why are you still up?” he asked.

  
“Don't want to go to sleep just yet,” said Haruna.

  
“How come?”

  
“Don’t want to cause any accidents.”

  
Jon didn't have an answer to that, so he remained silent.

  
“Hey Jon?” said Haruna.

  
“Yeah?” said Jon.

  
“How come your last name is Snow and not Targaryen?” asked Haruna. “And your mother's maiden name is Stark, so that just makes your name even weirder.”

  
“My parents weren't married when they had me,” said Jon. “My father had just lost his first wife when she gave birth to my brother Aegon, and my mother had just run away from home to escape her controlling father. They met in a moment of weakness and I was the result. They did fall in love with each other and got married eventually, but Mum was already seven months pregnant by that point.”

  
“That doesn't really explain why you have the surname Snow though,” said Haruna.

  
“I was about to get to that,” said Jon. “Growing up my father and I weren't particularly close, partly because I was a pretty sickly kid. I moved to Winterfell when I was six because my parents separated, but Mum moved back to King's Landing. The Targaryen name is huge in Westeros, but I didn't want that kind of attention so whenever kids asked my name I always said I was Jon Snow, and it sort of stuck. Now I don't really consider myself Stark or Targaryen these days, I'm my own man.”

  
“Wow, so the great Captain Westeros has daddy issues,” said Haruna teasingly. Jon frowned at the new nickname, which only made Haruna laugh. “What about your mum? Were you two close?”

  
“Oh, very,” said Jon. He couldn’t help the smile that broke out on his face at the mention of his beloved mother. “She was the only one who truly believed that I would live past five years, then ten, then eighteen years. Even though we lived far away from each other for a lot of my life, we always stayed in touch, and I’d go down to King's Landing to visit her or she'd come up and visit me. She and my uncle Ned are the two biggest reasons why I’m the man I am today.”

  
“I bet she'd be proud of you,” said Haruna, no doubt of insincerity in her voice or face. “Where is she now?”

  
“She died when I was eighteen,” said Jon, and he felt a small wave of sadness wash over him.

  
“Oh, I'm so sorry!” exclaimed Haruna.

  
“It's not your fault,” assured Jon. “She had cancer, and about five months after she was diagnosed she passed away. Thankfully it was painless, but still, it broke my heart.”

  
Haruna pushed herself closer to Jon and took his hand, looking up at him with her wide brown eyes. “Well I’m sure wherever your mum is, she'd definitely be proud of you,” she said.

  
Jon smiled sadly at the girl next to him. He was sure that Mum would be proud of a lot of things about him, but he was also sure that she'd be disappointed at some of the things he had committed during the war, things that made him not sleep so well at night.

  
“What about the rest of your family?” asked Haruna.

  
That made Jon forget why he was brooding quickly as he lit up. “Oh, they're awesome. I've got a big family. The Starks are awesome, I have... had five cousins on my mum's side and they're as fierce and as loyal as wolves. And my brother and sister are great as well. You've already met Rhaenys, she's a handful sometimes but she'd do anything for the people she loves. And Aegon and I are as different as night and day. He’s the one you want to take to a party, and he can be a little too much at times, but he's great. He's also Velvet Thunder's biggest fan in the Seven Kingdoms.”

  
“Sounds like your family is pretty awesome,” said Haruna.

  
“What about your family? I feel like I know next to nothing about you,” asked Jon.

  
“Well you already know that my dad was a soldier and how he met my mum,” said Haruna. “At the moment my mum's the breadwinner in my family, but I try to send as much money back home as I can, even if my parents don't want it. I mean, how much money does a twenty-one year old girl need?”

  
“Well if you were going to college then you might need it,” pointed out Jon.

  
“True,” conceded Haruna. “Oh, I have a little sister who means the world to me as well.”

  
“I didn’t know you had a sister,” said Jon.

  
“Wanna see some pics?” asked Haruna. When Jon nodded, she whipped out her phone and went into the photo app. Jon smiled in amusement as he watched Haruna scroll up several times, taking a minute to reach the pictures of her and her family. “Here,” she said finally, holding the phone out to Jon.

  
Jon took the phone and smiled at the picture of a slightly younger Haruna pulling a silly face with a little girl who looked remarkably similar to the girl sitting next to him. She couldn’t have been much older than eight or nine, with shoulder-length hair and bangs that covered her forehead. She was also missing a few teeth, which only made the photo more adorable to Jon.

  
“What's her name?” asked Jon as he handed the phone back to Haruna.

  
“Kiki, but I like to call her Ro Ro,” said Haruna.

  
“She's a cutie, how old is she?”

  
“She'll be turning nine in about a month.”

  
“That’s a bit of an age gap between you two,” observed Jon.

  
“After mum had me, the doctors were worried that having another child would be too dangerous, but my parents decided to have a go anyway,” answered Haruna. “And I'm glad too, being an only child was so boring.”

  
Jon's mum had been in a similar situation, but unlike Haruna's parents, his dad had adamantly refused to have another child. That had been another reason why his parents had separated for a while before getting back together. But Jon had never been alone per se, he'd had Rhaenys and Aegon, as well as the Starks.

  
Jon checked the time on his watch and saw that it was getting very late, so he stood up.

  
“We should probably get to bed. Tomorrow we're catching a plane to Braavos and immediately afterward there's a press conference,” he said.

  
“I can always sleep on the plane,” grumbled Haruna, but she acquiesced anyway. “Help me up?”

  
Jon took Haruna's hand and easily pulled her up off the couch and onto her feet, though neither one moved for a moment afterwards. When Jon became keenly aware just how close he was to the smaller woman, as well as the fact that he hadn't let go of her hand, he pulled away quickly and cleared his throat.

  
“Good night,” he mumbled.

  
“Night Jon.”

* * *

“Mr Snow!” said a voice amongst the throng of journalists and cameramen.

  
Jon gestured to a middle-aged woman who was hysterically waving a hand in the air to get the soldier's attention.

  
“In light of the fact that there was no bomb discovered on the premises, don't you think the reaction to a fear that was proven unfounded a little extreme?” asked the reporter.

  
“After the murder of one of Velvet Thunder's security officers inside their own apartment, I have taken the stance that if innocent lives are in danger, there is no such thing as an ‘extreme reaction,’ as you put it,” answered Jon tiredly.

  
Apparently the answer wasn't enough to sate any of the reporters' ravenous hunger, because instantly more of the same question, just using different words were being thrown at him. Jon sighed. He'd given the official statement put together by himself and Wu all of five minutes ago in the hopes that the press conference in Braavos would be a quick affair, but apparently it wasn't enough. Now, people were questioning whether the rest of the tour would happen of if Jon's state of mind was healthy after the war.

  
Jon looked on either side of him to see that the five girls looked just as tired and fed up as he felt. Sonny was trying her best to pay attention, though her glazed eyes suggested she was taking anything in, Aya was playing a game on her phone, Brenna was straight up not even trying to pretend she was even paying attention as her eyes looked at everything but the reporters. And Jihyun, well, she just looked like she was having a headache because of the Common Tongue being used around her. And Haruna, she looked almost scared, breathing a little heavy with her hand clutched over her heart. Jon remembered to keep an eye on that situation.

  
“Captain Snow, what will happen to the rest of the tour?” asked Tyroshi man.

  
“As of now, we will be doubling security around all future premises and Velvet Thunder will not be able to greet fans after performances,” said Jon. “This is to prevent any one with hostile intentions towards Velvet Thunder from getting too close to them.”

  
“Captain Snow, this decision could cause serious backlash from fans and critics alike. Are you prepared to face something like this?” asked another man with a Dornish accent.

  
Before Jon could answer, Sonny leaned in towards her mic and said firmly, “Velvet Thunder fans have always been a loving and understanding lot. I'm sure they'll support this decision the same way they always have.”

  
_Huh, maybe Sonny had been paying attention_, thought Jon.

  
“Not to mention I spent the last four years before being employed by E.D. Entertainment getting shot at, so I'm sure this will be a walk in the park compared to that,” he added with a smile. His jest earned more than a few laughs from around the room, helping to ease the tension slightly.

  
“I have a question for Miss Smith,” said another reporter. Haruna looked up in surprise, terror clearly written all over her face. She nodded however, and the reporter continued. “Miss Smith, four months ago you were a trainee at E.D. Entertainment, and now you're one of the stars of the biggest Y-pop girl group in history. How has the transition been?”

  
“I uh...” Haruna paused, took a sip of the bottle of water in front of her and continued in a shaky voice, “It's been great. The other girls have been so welcoming and been like my older sisters. I couldn't have asked for a better group of friends, and that includes Captain Snow.”

  
“How has it been with the White Wolf as well?” asked another reporter.

  
“I-I-I...” Haruna looked to Jon for help, but thankfully Brenna came to her rescue.

  
“He can be a real stubborn old coot at times, but he's not all that bad,” she said with a mischief grin in Jon's direction. “I'm just kidding, he's taken on the roll of our protective older brother very well.”

  
There was more laughing, but Jon kept staring at Haruna while she pleaded with him silently. Her breaths were becoming more ragged and her eyes wild with fright. When he saw the flash of purple in her eyes, he decided that was enough for the day. He quickly grabbed his phone and typed the words, ‘_Pretend you're sick, it will give us a valid excuse to get out of here_,’ before sending it to Haruna.

  
Haruna checked her phone once she had received the message, then nodded slightly. She then suddenly grabbed her chest and started breathing quickly and deeply, which caught the attention of Aya next to her. Jon suspected that she wasn’t entirely pretending.

  
“Sonny, are you okay?” asked Aya.

  
“No... can't breathe...” gasped Haruna. Jon quickly got up and rushed to her side before helping her up.

  
“Um... I guess the press conference is over. Thank you for your time,” said Brenna into her mic before hurrying off the stand, followed closely by Aya, Jihyun and Sonny.

  
Jon continued to hold Haruna up while she hyperventilated until they were safe in the room allotted to them. He allowed the other four inside before slamming the door shut, locked it then rushed back to Haruna. She looked to be on the verge of tears as her eyes glowed purple, and her aura to show again.

  
“Breathe, Haruna,” said Jon soothingly.

  
“I... can't...!” cried Haruna.

  
“Damn it,” muttered Jon. He placed both hands on her arms and rubbed them up and down softly, hoping that the soothing motions would help calm her down.

  
“What's wrong with her?” asked Aya.

  
“I'm not sure,” said Jon. “Come on Haruna, work with me!”

  
“I'm... trying!” gasped Haruna.

  
“Should I call a doctor?” suggested Brenna.

  
“No!” said Jon quickly. He looked to Haruna again just as tears started to pour down her cheeks. “Haruna, look at me.”

  
She didn't straight away until Jon shook her. She looked so scared it hurt Jon to see her like that.

  
“Haruna, I want you to think of something that makes you happy,” instructed Jon. “Think of a memory of your family, something cute and fluffy, I don't just whatever takes you away from any negative feelings.”

  
Haruna squeezed her eyes shut, forcing more tears out and grit her teeth together hard.

  
“Something... happy,” she grunted. Jon continued rubbing her arms until her breathing slowed down and her face loosened. The air was tense as everyone waited with bated breath, until finally Haruna's aura disappeared and her eyes opened again, which had returned to their normal warm brown colour.

  
“Are you okay?” asked Jon.

  
Haruna didn't even say anything, she just threw her arms around his neck and sobbed into his shoulder. Jon hugged her back and said nothing as he let the girl cry into him. But he was surprised when he felt someone else hug him, and looked to see the other girls joining the embrace in a show of solidarity.

  
Something was seriously wrong, and Jon didn't think it had anything to do with the girls' lack of control.

* * *

“_Your device didn't work_.”

  
The scientist looked up from his novel, and wasn't surprised to see the Hunter sitting at the dining table behind him. Most of its body was shrouded in darkness except for the upper half of its face and its left arm, which was reflecting the moonlight with its metal.

  
“_I think you'll find that my device worked exactly as expected,_” replied the scientist in the same language the Hunter had addressed him in, High Valyrian. He closed his book and went over to the fridge, grabbed a carton of juice and a glass before pouring the liquid into it. “_Would you like some juice?”_

  
When the Hunter frowned in confusion, the scientist smirked. His work had been excellent. The weapon before him was so totally under his control that it couldn't understand basic human courtesy anymore, making it that much more effective in carrying out his assignments. The scientist didn’t even consider the Hunter a human these days, just another tool to further the work of his masters.

  
The scientist grabbed a remote and pointed it to a nearby TV and pushed a button, turning it on to video footage of the most recent concert hosted by the kitsune. The video played until the scientist paused it, leaving the footage frozen on an image of the five kitsune in the middle of a dance.

  
“_What do you see?_” asked the scientist. Without waiting for an answer (not that the assassin was capable of giving an answer without permission), he continued. _“The girls seem to be surrounded by a strange light. Most people will simply pass it off as the light reflecting on their silly costumes, but we know better.”_

  
He pushed another button on the remote a few times, zooming on the image until it was focussed on the Void Kitsune. He then pushed another button, and the image enhanced its quality to reveal that it wasn't just any light around the kitsune, but rather an ethereal aura made of purple energy shaped like a humanoid fox that surrounded her.

  
“_My device is designed to emit a powerful frequency that can only be detected by supernatural creatures,_” explained the scientist. “_As you can see, the kitsune are reacting to it negatively. The fox in them senses impending danger and are preparing to defend their mortal bodies. If the super soldier had not have interfered, eventually the kitsune would have revealed themselves to the whole world and made them easier targets for us to take._

  
_“Your mission is to continue using my device to emit that frequency as you follow the kitsune to their destinations. Eventually, the kitsune will react the way we want them to and the soldier won't be able to stop it. After that, you will extract the kitsune and bring them to a secure location where we will continue our work. King's Landing will be the prime spot to perform the operation.”_

  
The Hunter nodded his head in confirmation. Sometimes the scientist was amazed that his experiments on the man hadn't completely melted his brain, but it had made him into the perfect weapon.

  
“_What about the soldier?_” asked the Hunter.

  
The scientist shrugged indifferently. “_Kill him,_” he said.

  
“_He seems to be closely watched by Wu.”_

  
_“Let me handle Mr Wu. He is running out of friends and time.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: Jon comes to a realisation about his relationship with Haruna when they arrive in Westeros. He reunites with his family, wards off an overeager Aegon from the girls, and the concert in King's Landing ends in complete disaster.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reviews would be heavily appreciated!

King's Landing, while still warm, was nothing compared to the Free Cities, Ghiscari or Yi Ti. It was late summer, meaning the Seven Kingdoms should have been at the height of its hot weather, but it was actually a little more chilly than usual. However, Jon assumed that was because he'd acclimatised to warmer weather.

  
When Jon and Velvet Thunder touched down in King’s Landing International Airport, they were greeted by fans and Jon's Targaryen family alike. Rhaenys was with her boyfriend Willas Tyrell, who was a tall man with wavy brown hair and currently using a crutch after breaking his femur, but seemed to be in good spirits. Jon had never met the man but if he had caught Rhaenys' eye then he must have been a decent fellow. Aunt Dany and Arianne Martell, Jon's step-cousin was also there to greet them.

  
As Jon hugged Rhaenys, he asked, “Where's Egg?”

  
“Dad made him stay at work for a bit longer, said something about him still needing to learn how to handle the family business,” said Rhaenys.

  
“Bet he loved that,” said Jon dryly with a grin.

  
“Oh, I've never seen him kick up such a stink about something like this before,” laughed Rhaenys.

  
“It's probably for the best, someone needs to remind him to check himself before he embarrasses either me or himself,” said Jon.

  
“He'll do it regardless,” said Rhaenys. Then she moved on meet the girls, throwing a cheeky grin over her shoulder at her brother as she did so.

  
Jon laughed before shaking hands with Rhaenys' boyfriend.

  
“Willas Tyrell,” said the man.

  
“Jon Snow,” greeted Jon. “Rhae's told me a lot about you.”

  
“Good things I hope?” said Willas with a wry grin.

  
“She wouldn't be dating you if she didn’t think you were good,” answered Jon. Then he leant forward and said quietly so that only Willas could hear, “Make sure it stays that way.”

  
He pulled away and smiled warmly at Willas, who suddenly looked glad he was wearing brown chinos and nodded his head. Jon didn't think Willas was that bad honestly, but he did have to play the role of protective brother to his own blood-sister.

  
“Jon,” said somebody behind Willas and Jon grinned to see his aunt (who was actually nearly a year younger than him) come over with a bright grin. Dany leapt into Jon's outstretched arms and hugged him tightly, which Jon eagerly returned and spun her around. Jon remembered that he hadn't been able to see Dany during his brief visit after he came home from the war as she'd been on a college trip to the Summer Isles, meaning this was the first time they'd seen each since before Jon joined the military.

  
“You've gotten taller,” commented Dany with a grin.

  
“And you haven't changed a bit,” teased Jon as he ruffled his aunt's hair. It was true; Dany was a tiny thing, even shorter than Haruna and petite. But in the five years since he'd last seen her, she'd remained as beautiful as ever.

  
“What about me? Don't I deserve a hug?” asked Arianne with a mock pout.

  
“It's good to see you too Ari,” laughed Jon before embracing his oldest cousin.

  
“You know, most men would kill to be in your situation,” commented Ari with a mischievous grin. “Lonely bachelor like you living with five stunning Y-pop stars.”

  
“It's not like that,” huffed Jon.

  
“Still a boy scout to the core I see,” muttered Ari.

  
“Oh stop teasing him Arianne,” chided Dany, though her smirk indicated that she was enjoying it. Jon could only roll his eyes at the two women's antics before going back over to the other girls and helped them with their bags. They separated from Jon's family and hopped into a limo (courtesy of Targaryen Industries) which took them to their hotel, where they dropped off their things quickly before going to the Targaryen mansion.

  
Jon had never really liked growing up in ‘the Red Keep,’ as the Targaryen home was called because of its red brick outer walls. While he did like open spaces where would could be free to run around, to him the mansion always felt cold and distant to him, even more so than The Stark house had ever been even if that was way up in the North. While he did have good memories of the Red Keep, such as spending afternoons sketching the view of Blackwater Bay on a piece of canvas from his balcony or playing the drums loudly, confident that nobody would hear him simply because the house was so gigantic. Even evenings spent with his mother while she taught him how to play the guitar for hours on end.

  
Jon Connington, the Targaryen's butler and affectionately nicknamed ‘Conny,’ was waiting for Jon and the five girls at the front door when they arrived.

  
“Welcome home, Master Snow,” greeted the man poshly, though there was a kind warmth in his eyes.

  
“Please Conny, I've asked you to call me Jon for years now,” said Jon warmly as he shook Conny's hand. He then gestured to the five girls. “These are my friends, Jihyun, Brenna, Sonny, Aya and Haruna. Girls, this is Conny, an old family friend.”

  
The girls all waved politely, and Conny bowed to them respectfully before holding the door open for them to enter into the mansion. Jon was pleased to see that nothing had changed since he was last here almost six months ago as he entered into the enormous entry hall. Not that he expected it to be, the whole mansion remained largely the same it had been for hundreds of years, excepting minor restoration projects done to maintain the whole building. Jon personally had found the whole dragon theme a little excessive, but he couldn't complain too much. His mother's family also had an unhealthy obsession with wolves.

  
“Miss Rhaenys and Mr Tyrell are waiting for you in the gardens with some afternoon tea, and Master Aegon will be arriving soon as well sir,” informed Conny.

  
“Thanks Conny,” said Jon gratefully before leading the girls down on of the many halls towards the gardens.

  
Once they were out of the butler's earshot, Aya sidled up to Jon with a great big smirk on her face.

  
“Cap, you never told us you were rich,” she said teasingly.

  
“I'm not rich, my father is,” corrected Jon.

  
“Tomato, tomato,” said Aya, pronouncing the same word differently. Jon wondered where she even heard that particular idiom from. “Point is,” she continued, “Your family has a lot of money.”

  
“I don't use any of it,” said Jon indifferently. “I've always wanted to make my own way in the world.” And part of that had been changing his surname.

  
“Wow, Jon Snow, so noble,” drawled Brenna with an eye roll.

  
“Oh don't be jealous Brenna,” teased Aya. “We'll find you a nice rich man to marry if Cap isn't interested.”

  
“_You're an idiot_,” muttered Brenna in Yi Tish.

  
“_And you love me for it,_” retorted Aya easily before poking her tongue out at the older girl.

  
Jon shared a look with Sonny and Jihyun before they started to snicker at the bickering, and it was then that they arrived in the gardens, which caused a squeak of delight to come from Sonny.

  
The Red Keep's garden was probably Jon's favourite place in King's Landing. The gardens were huge, covering several acres of land and filled with a variety of the most exotic and vibrant flowers from all over the world. In spring time, the garden was at its most beautiful, but because it was summer at the moment the flowers had lost some of their lushness and colour but were still magnificent to behold regardless.

  
Jon led the five excited girls through the gardens towards one of the many gazebos situated around the grounds, where Rhaenys, Willas and Dany were already waiting. They were lounging comfortably on the chairs around a large table enjoying platters of fruit and cookies. When they saw the approaching group, the three of them waved out. Rhaenys and Dany jumped out of their chairs to meet them halfway, hugging every single one of them like they hadn’t literally just seen them less than a couple hours prior, while Willas was far more reserved and shook Jon's hand and smiled at the girls.

  
“Come! Join us, we had just started,” said Rhaenys excitedly, and she practically shoved Jon into the chair next to her while the others picked out their seats. Most of the girls started to eagerly dig in to the food available, starved after their flight from Pentos to King’s Landing. Except for Sonny, who struck an excitable conversation with Dany about the flowers.

  
Conversation was small and idle, with Rhaenys playing the perfect host to the girls, asking questions about their lives and families while Jon got to know Willas. Turned out Willas was a writer, with a particular love of fantasy novels. He was also crippled, requiring his crutch to support himself permanently in order to move. He'd broken his femur playing rugby a few years back, and his leg had not been set right which stopped him from enlisting in the military when the war broke out, though his two younger brothers had fought and returned home safely. Jon jokingly told him at least Willas had broken it playing a man's sport, which earned a laugh from the older man and kept conversation away from any gloomy topics. Jon didn't want to think about war or fighting for a moment, he just wanted to be surrounded by the people he cared about the most.

  
Speaking of people, there was commotion near one of the bushes, and a slightly frazzled Aegon appeared with his long silvery-blonde hair a mess and his tie askew. He jogged over and quickly sat down at the table before tucking into the food like a ravenous animal, completely unaware of the guests present.

  
“So... when does Jon get here?” he asked through a mouthful of food, looking up to Rhaenys.

  
Rhaenys only raised an eyebrow at her brother, and Aegon returned her glare with a confused look. Then he saw Jon sitting next to Rhaenys and he nearly choked on his food before swallowing and got up. He walked around the table at the same time Jon stood up, and the two brothers embraced.

  
“How are you little bro?” asked Aegon with a laugh as he pulled away from Jon.

  
“I'm doing good,” replied Jon. Aegon had always been loud and outgoing while Jon was more reserved and quiet, and it had never been more obvious than now.

  
“I bet you would be, running around after those gorgeous little vixens,” teased Aegon. “Tell me, do you have a crush on one of them?”

  
“Um,” Jon looked at the five kitsune, who all had mixtures of shock and amusement on their faces.

  
“Come on man, you gotta have at least one,” persisted Aegon.

  
“Egg,” said Rhaenys.

  
“I’ve always had a huge crush of Jihyun, though Sonny is a close second,” continued Aegon, who seemed completely oblivious to the glaring from Dany, Willas's snickering and Jon's burning face.

  
“Egg,” said Rhaenys, a little louder this time.

  
“You kissed one of them yet? I’d have already done it by now with at least one of them-“

  
“_Aegon_,” hissed Rhaenys.

  
“-But of course you’ve always been the polite little boy. That'd be Uncle Ned's influence-“

  
“AEGON TARGARYEN!” Rhaenys finally yelled. Aegon finally stopped at looked at his sister. “I'd like you to meet Jihyun, Brenna, Sonny, Aya and Haruna.”

  
Aegon only just noticed the five girls, and when he did, his face went pale and he let out a rather ignominious squawk of horror.

  
“I-I uh, I'm uh...” he stuttered.

  
“Hello,” said Aya with a friendly wave. Jon knew that she was enjoying every minute of this.

  
“Shit, I’ve done goofed up,” muttered Aegon.

  
Sonny let out a snort as she tried to hold in her laughter while Willas all out started laughing, not even bothering to try and hide his amusement. Aegon grumbled and looked at Jon.

  
“Why didn't you tell me they were here with you?” he asked accusingly.

  
“Rhaenys did try, but you were on one of your rants,” said Jon, and he clapped a hand on his brother's shoulder.

  
“Next time, just punch me,” grumbled Aegon before he went to sit back down, looking red-faced and thoroughly embarrassed.

  
Conversation was struck up again, and while the girls continued to tease Aegon for his mishap, he had recovered from his initial shock enough to revert back to his usual outgoing self and fire back teasing remarks easily. Jon, for the most part, didn't speak much as he looked at his friends and family all getting along so well. He was currently watching Haruna laughing with Dany, unaware of the smile that had crept onto his face until he felt Rhaenys' eyes on him. When he looked at her, she smirked and leant in.

  
“I see the way you're looking at Haruna,” she whispered.

  
“What?” said Jon, feeling a little confused now.

  
“You like her, don't you?” said Rhaenys.

  
Jon’s eyes widened in shock. “I don't understand...” he began, but Rhaenys cut him off with a small giggle.

  
“You will. But all I have to say is that she's been looking at you the same way,” she said conspiratorially before joining in on the conversation between Aegon and Brenna.

  
Jon leaned back and frowned slightly. Rhaenys thought he liked Haruna? Well, of course he did, she was his friend! But he guessed that his sister was implying that he like liked Haruna. Which was strange, because he hadn't really thought of her in that way, at least not that he was aware of. Yeah, he was closer to her compared to the others and spent more time talking to each other, but Jon had always assumed that was simply because they had come together with Velvet Thunder around the same time. But Jon couldn't deny that he found Haruna to be very pretty, beautiful even. And Rhaenys said that Haruna looked at him the same way he supposedly looked at her. How did he even look at Haruna?

  
Jon was pulled from his thoughts when he felt a hand rest on his shoulder, looked up to see the woman in question crouched next to him.

  
“Um, I need to use the restroom,” she said a little sheepishly.

  
“Oh, okay. I'll take you,” said Jon, and he stood up and looked at his family. “Are you going to be okay with the girls for a bit?”

  
“Just go Jon. There won't be any crazy people trying to claim these four while you're away for five minutes,” waved off Rhaenys easily. Then, she added with a look towards Aegon, “Well, maybe your brother might.”

  
“Hey!” exclaimed Aegon indignantly.

  
Jon could only sigh at his siblings' antics and proceeded to lead Haruna away from the gazebo, passing by more flower bushes. The two of them maintained a steady silence, which Jon couldn't help but feel was slightly awkward. Maybe it was just him and Haruna couldn't feel it, all because of what Rhaenys had told him earlier.

  
“You okay Jon?” asked Haruna.

  
_Maybe she can feel the awkwardness,_ thought Jon. “Yeah, I'm fine, why?” he said.

  
“I don't know, you just seem a little distant is all,” said Haruna.

  
“Sorry, but Rhaenys told me something just before that got me thinking,” said Jon ruefully.

  
“Hm, it must have been something if the White Wolf’s getting thoughtful over it,” teased Haruna.

  
Jon grinned. “Nah, it was just Rhaenys being Rhaenys,” he said.

  
They got to a (yes, the Red Keep had toilets in the gardens) and Jon waited outside while Haruna did her business. She returned a few minutes later looking surprised for some reason.

  
“Seriously Jon, how rich is your family?” she asked in wonder. “Those were some of the fanciest toilets I've ever been in!”

  
“I'm not sure actually, but I remember hearing my dad mention that he's something like the richest man in Westeros after Tywin Lannister,” said Jon. “I never really paid attention whenever Dad mentioned money though.”

  
“You really like being independent, don't you?” said Haruna. Jon only shrugged and offered his arm out for her to take, which she gladly did.

  
“Let me show you my favourite place in the gardens,” offered Jon. He then led her past a few gardeners, waving hello to them. Eventually, they came to a greenhouse, but inside was cooler. Haruna let out a surprised gasp when she saw pale-blue roses blooming in the cooler air, then turned around and beamed at Jon.

  
“I've never seen these roses before, what are they?” she asked.

  
“Winter roses,” answered Jon. “They're native to the North and were my mother's favourite flower. My Dad had this glass house made so they could survive this far south for one of her birthdays after they got married.”

  
“They're beautiful,” said Haruna quietly, her whole expression filled with awe. She ran a finger gently along the petal of one of the roses, as if she was afraid she would destroy its beauty.

  
As Jon watched Haruna tenderly inspect the winter roses, he was suddenly struck by the memory of seeing his mother doing the exact same thing. From a glance, Haruna and Mum looked very similar with their long dark hair, fair skin and small stature. And seeing Haruna here amongst the living memory of his mother, it was as if he was seeing Haruna, really seeing her. He felt his throat tighten as he took a step closer to Haruna, and when she looked up at him with wide eyes and a bright smile, Rhaenys' words rang in his head.

  
_“You like her, don't you?”_

  
Haruna's smile faded when Jon took another step closer so that she had to crane her neck to look up at him. Jon's gaze darted between her eyes and mouth, and he heard her take in a sharp breath of air when he gently tucked a stand of hair behind her ear. His hands then went to hold Haruna's waist, and she shuffled ever so slightly closer to him.

  
But then Jon heard footsteps, and he looked over to see his father standing at the greenhouse's entryway.

  
Rhaegar Targaryen was what many people would call a beautiful man. He was tall, lean and his silver hair was tied up in a ponytail at the back of his head, his indigo eyes shining brightly and his face clean-shaven. He was wearing a black suit trimmed with crimson, making him look every inch the businessman he was. He was not smiling though, but then again, he rarely did in Jon's presence.

  
“Dad,” said Jon stiffly as he dropped his hands from Haruna's waist and took a step back from her.

  
“Jon. I heard that you had come home,” said Dad. “I am glad to see you doing well.”

  
“Thanks,” said Jon. He then gestured to thee girl next to him. “This is my friend Haruna, one of the members of-“

  
“I know who she is,” interrupted Dad. He then bowed his head slightly. “A pleasure to meet you, Miss Smith.”

  
“Nice to meet you too,” said Haruna. “This is a lovely place.”

  
“Yes, I'm sure my son has already told you that this was my gift to Lyanna,” said Dad as he stepped closer to the pair, his eyes wandering the over the winter roses. Jon could see that despite his stoic demeanour, Dad was sad as he looked at the roses. But he smiled tightly when he looked and Jon and Haruna again. “I am sorry to be rude, Miss Smith, but I'm afraid I must speak with Jon privately,” he said.

  
“Actually, I need to take her back to the others-“ began Jon.

  
“One of my guards can escort her there,” cut in Dad for the second time. His tone brokered no room for argument.

  
“It's okay Jon,” said Haruna when Jon was about to argue. “I'll see you in a bit.”

  
She left hurriedly while Jon never took his eyes off his father. Once they were alone, Dad walked past Jon to admire the same rose Haruna had been a few moments prior. Nothing was said for a long time as Jon watched Dad look at the flower.

  
“It's been a while, hasn't it Jon?” said Dad finally.

  
“Five years,” said Jon.

  
“When you left to join the army, you were a full head shorter than me. Now, you're taller,” observed Dad. The way he said that made Jon feel like the man was talking to a little boy and not a grown man.

  
“Well, genetic enhancements will do that to a person,” said Jon with a bite of sarcasm. If Dad detected it, he didn't say anything.

  
“I am sorry for not being here when you returned home, but I was out of town,” he continued. “But I'm sure it was great to see your brother and sister after so long apart.”

  
“Rhaenys and Aegon were very welcoming,. But I was only dropping by for a little bit because I was on my way to Yi Ti,” said Jon in that same stiff tone he'd been using since his father arrived. Goodness, why was it so hard to talk to his own father?

  
Dad nodded his head thoughtfully. “And how is your new job? I'm sure it's been very different from your time in the army,” he asked.

  
“It's good, I'm enjoying it,” said Jon.

  
“If you want, I could have you let go, maybe have you come and working with Aegon and I,” offered Dad. “We'd both love to see you more often, and Rhaenys-“

  
“Thanks, but I'm good,” said Jon quickly. Now it was his turn to interrupt. “Other than the threats and attempts on the girls' lives, I actually really enjoy my job.”

  
“Hm, I bet you do, don't you,” said Dad.

  
Whatever his father was insinuating, Jon didn't react to it and so kept silent. Dad seemed disappointed and sighed.

  
“So tell me about what you did in the war,” said Dad.

  
“I'd rather not. War isn't something I like to talk about openly,” said Jon firmly.

  
“Okay, tell me about your job,” backpedalled Dad.

  
“There's not much to talk about really. I follow the girls, make sure they're safe, have a little fun with them along the way and then go home and repeat the next day. I like spending time with the girls, they're a lot of fun and have become very close friends.”

  
“I think your skills could be better used elsewhere,” admitted Dad.

  
“What skills?” asked Jon.

  
“You could be a great businessman son. You just need to learn how to develop those skills,” said Dad.

  
“I'm a super soldier Dad. Fighting and protecting is all I'm good at. And if I wasn't a soldier, I'd have finished my art degree or be studying history or something like that,” argued Jon. “I've never had the mind nor desire to do what you do.”

  
“You could always work security for Targaryen Industries,” suggested Dad.

  
“No. I'd hate working here in King's Landing,” said Jon.

  
“You'd hate working _here_, or you'd hate working with the _people_ here?”

  
“A bit of both, if I'm being honest.”

  
“So you ran away to the either side of the world to escape your problems.”

  
Jon clenched his jaw tightly and forced himself to relax before saying with a scathing tone, “Unlike you, I actually faced my problems head on instead of ignoring them for more than twenty years.”

  
Dad looked at Jon as though he'd been slapped.

  
“I didn't mean it like that,” he said.

  
“Well that's what it sounded like,” accused Jon. “Was I really such an embarrassment to you that I wasn't what you hoped I’d be?”

  
“Jon, I've always been proud of you. I just show my pride in different ways,” said Dad placatingly, but Jon wasn't having it.

  
“Oh, I'm aware of that. Your affection for people has been different for everyone, like showering Rhaenys and Aegon with praise whenever they accomplished anything while you barely acknowledged me,” snapped Jon.

  
“I'm proud of you now,” said Dad.

  
“Saying you're proud of me after I've called you out on it doesn't count,” said Jon. “Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to do my job.”

  
Jon tried to push past his father, but he grabbed him by the arm. “I haven't given you permission to leave yet,” he said in that voice that used to intimidate Jon as a child, but now it sounded weak.

  
“You are not my commanding officer,” retorted Jon before he ripped his arm free of Dad's grip and stalked off back to the gazebo.

* * *

Jon had been in a foul mood for the rest of the week, though he had smiled when Aegon told him that Rhaenys had ripped into their father when she found out about the argument. But that was a small spot of sunshine in a dark week, right up until the night of Velvet Thunder's first concert in Westeros, which was to be held right in the legendary Dragon Pit. It was promising to be quite the spectacle, with fans travelling as far as Dorne to see the girls live.

  
The stadium was packed right before the concert was set to begin. Makeup and costume designers fluttered around the girls, hurrying to put some last-minute touches on their work before they were ushered away. The girls were calm and ready, keen to put on their biggest show, while outside, the distant rumbling of the bass thrummed in everyone's ears.

  
This wasn't just the first time back in Westeros for Jon; it was also the first time Haruna and Sonny had been back home as well, performing on their home turf. All was looking good though. The girls had been in good control of their powers ever since arriving in King's Landing, and their fighting training with Jon was giving them greater endurance and skill.

  
But that made Jon even more on edge. Their entire tour through Essos had been met with trial after trial, and all of a sudden things appearing to be in calmer weather was anything but suspicious.

  
“Relax Jon,” said Haruna calmly as she took her position. “Everything's fine.”

  
“I just have a bad feeling something's going to happen,” said Jon.

  
Haruna smiled and reached up to touch his cheek fondly. Ever since their time in Mum's winter rose garden, something had changed between the two of them. Haruna had been more physically affectionate and Jon more relaxed and outgoing around her. It was good, but others had noticed it. Even now Jihyun was giving the two of them knowing looks.

  
“Don't worry. You do your job and I'll do mine,” said Haruna. That saying had become somethong of an inside joke between them. Then she went on stage, leaving Jon by himself to watch from his position.

  
The concert started with its usual dramatic flair, with the loudspeakers hitting full volume and the cheering of fans as their idols appeared onstage. Jon knew that Aegon, Dany and Rhaenys were somewhere in the crowd, having scored free tickets from the girls. Again, the girls were phenomenal on stage, their dancing well-executed and singing wonderfully. Jon was particularly fond of how the girls would talk with fans in between songs and make jokes that were completely unscripted, making them even more endearing to their fans.

  
Sonny walked along the edge of the stage with Jihyun as they told a funny story about one of the times they had accidentally in on Jon half-naked in the bathroom, earning many a wolf whistle from the crowd. Jon groaned, but he supposed that if it made for good entertainment, he was willing to be a little embarrassed on their behalf. Then he watched as the two girls stopped right in front of a man about Jon's age and looked Yi Tish, a rare thing to see in Westeros. The man shouted something that made Sonny go stiff, and Jihyun turned around with a shocked expression on her face. It wasn't a pleasantly surprised expression, but rather one that suggested she was disturbed. Jon took a step forward, ready to intervene in case some kind of drama happened, but he hoped for the best.

  
And then the man pulled out a knife and jumped onto the stage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A kidnapping attempt is made, the kitsune reveal themselves and an escape plan is organised.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All conversations in Italics are supposed to represent conversations spoken in a different language.

Jon reacted with inhuman speed at the danger. He yanked his shield off his back and threw it hard so that the shield sailed through the aid like a frisbee and smacked the man right in the chest, knocking him back down off the stage with a crash. As the shield ricocheted back to Jon’s waiting hand, more men appeared on stage, carrying various weapons.

  
Jon sprinted onto the stage and kicked one foe right off, then turned to the girls.

  
“RUN!” he bellowed. The girls didn't hesitate as they took off, leaving Jon to battle multiple opponents at once. The crowd erupted into chaos as everyone scrambled for the nearest exits, trampling each other and pushing past to flee the danger. Meanwhile, the assailants surrounded Jon before rushing him. In any other situation, the attack might have worked. If Jon were anyone else, he would have been overwhelmed right then and there.

  
But Jon was no ordinary human, and he'd been in enough situations like this to know exactly what to do. Five men, all possibly highly trained killers armed with weapons ranging from combat knives to brass knuckles. Jon heard the footsteps behind him and ducked right as an arm swung right where his head used to be. Jon grabbed the arm and flipped the man over his shoulder onto the ground while at the same time deflecting another attack with his shield, making the other opponent stumble backwards. Jon then kicked the man down in the gut, winding him before engaging the other three.

  
These men were good fighters, but were still nothing compared to the super soldier as he swiftly beat all five of them down. When he saw other would-be kidnappers rushing past towards backstage, Jon upped the ante to finish his current opponents off before tossing his shield at the back of the last guy leaving, knocking him down and causing him to push his accomplices down as well. Jon caught his shield when it returned to him, then leapt up and rammed his knee into one of the men who had recovered first. The man's sternum caved in under the impact with a sickening crack and he dropped like a rock, but Jon didn't waste time thinking about it as he despatched of the others by brutally breaking their limbs before looking around.

  
There was no sign of the girls, but there were bodies of security officers laying in pools of their own blood, which meant their were other bad guys nearby and probably pursuing them. Before Jon could think of where to go to search for the girls, seven men appeared behind him with murderous looks on their faces. They engaged, and Jon was quickly caught in a melee that had him on the defence most of the time because of the cramped space. He used his shield to block the attacks, which only served to anger his foes and they attacked more ferociously this time. Eventually one of the bad guys got a hit on Jon in the cheek, but he quickly recovered and rammed his closest opponent with his shield, sending him flying before he crashed into one of the lights, sending sparks flying everywhere and blinding the others.

  
Jon used the distraction to his advantage used a combination of punches, kicks and his shield to beat down the group, even picking up one man by the leg and using him like a baseball bat to smash his friends down one-handed. He then threw his makeshift bat into a pillar, making it collapse a metal beam on top of them and pinning them to the ground. Satisfied, that they were out of the fight, Jon took off ain search of the girls.

  
There were bad guys everywhere. Every corner Jon took, there were more of them and he had to fight them through the hallways just to get to the other side. He made sure that every person he fought was either crippled or dead so that he wouldn't have to keep dealing with them, using brutal combinations of attacks to inflict pain upon them. Whoever had hired these men was sparing no expense as Jon took out what must have been his thirtieth man by breaking his arm and dislocating his shoulder before ramming his head through a glass window.

  
When he reached the stairway, Jon heard a girl that sounded like Sonny scream, which meant that they were close and in danger. He didn't bother with running down the stairs, instead opting to simply leap over the railing. He tucked his arms and legs into the foetal position and held his shield to the side, using it as a buffer when he smashed into the bottom floor, but he rolled at the last second to lessen the blow. Jon got up slowly as his bones rattled from the impact of landing, then shook his head and took off running down the hall to find the girls.

  
He found Sonny, Aya and Jihyun backed into a corner and surrounded by four men holding firearms with malicious grins on their faces. They definitely weren't Westerosi, but were probably either from the Free Cities or Ghiscari and wearing military-grade combat gear. The three girls looked scared out of their wits.

  
“The Priest will reward us for bringing in these three,” said one of the men.

  
Jon wasn't about to let that happen, so he threw his shield. The shield flew right past the men's head, seemingly missing until it rebounded off the wall directly above the girls and smacking one of the men right in the forehead, knocking him out instantly. The men turned around and immediately began firing their weapons at Jon, but the super soldier rolled on the ground, jumped up and kicked one of them in the chest, sending him flying into the wall, where his head hit the wall hard, and when he fell to the ground, there was a large smear of blood where his head had connected. The two remaining men kept firing, but Jon recovered his shield off the ground to block the bullets, then he rolled along the ground again and swept one of the men's legs out from under him with his foot. Jon then got up right as the last man emptied his magazine, threw his gun on the ground and pulled out a knife before charging at him. Jon parried the attacks easily before punching the man in the gut, sending him sprawling to the ground. Before the man could recover, Jon threw his shield into the man's face, finishing him and in one fluid movement, caught his shield and placed it on his back again before going over to check on the girls.

  
Except for their messy hair and ruined makeup, the girls were fine physically at least.

  
“Where are Brenna and Haruna?” asked Jon quickly.

  
“We got separated when we got to the stairway, we don't know where they went,” said Sonny.

  
Jon looked over his shoulder. “I have to go find them,” he said. He reached for one of the guns, reloaded it and handed it to Jihyun.

  
“_Take it,_” he said.

  
“_What_?!” exclaimed Jihyun as she looked at the weapon in her hands.

  
“_If you have to, use it,_” ordered Jon. Then he looked at the other two._ “If things get out of hand, I want you to use everything I have taught you, even if it means using your powers.”_

  
The three girls nodded their heads hesitantly, looking completely terrified. Jon then grabbed a set of car keys from one of the compartments on his belt and handed it to Aya. “The keys to the van,” he said. “Meet us at the south exit. The van is bulletproof, it should protect you. Keep the engine running so we can make a quick escape.”

  
“Okay,” said Aya in a shaky but determined voice.

  
Jon offered them a reassuring smile before he took off back the way he came in search of Brenna and Haruna. He had no idea where to look, but he would search the entire stadium if he had to. He started by checking all the rooms on the bottom floor. There was no sign of them, so he went up the stairway onto the next floor, and the next and the next with no success.

  
Jon didn't want to think of the possibility that Brenna and Haruna might have already been taken. He didn't want to think of what might happen to them if they really had been taken by sorcerers of a cult-religion. The thought fuelled Jon to keep looking, taking down anyone who tried to get in his way.

  
When Jon reached the fifth floor, he noticed that the air was significantly hotter. Then, he saw one of the doors had been blasted off its hinges and on fire, while another door was shrivelled up and smoking with shadow.

  
_Brenna and Haruna have been here,_ thought Jon. He followed the trail of destruction until it took him to a hallway that had been completely destroyed by fire. Laying on the ground were charred bones and scorched flesh of people who probably tried to get in Brenna’s way and paid the price. Judging by the way everything was on fire, Jon assumed that Brenna wasn't fully in control. He had to find her and Haruna before she accidentally burned the whole stadium to the ground and killed everyone still inside. And who knew what Haruna’s powers were doing.

  
Jon continued looking until he found Brenna, surrounded by flames though she was unharmed. Around her were more scorched bodies, though she seemed completely unaware of the damage done. Her eyes were glowing brightly with the fiery light of her power, though it faded when she saw Jon coming. The flames dispersed as Jon came closer and she ran over and hugged him.

  
“Are you okay?” asked Jon.

  
“I'm not sure,” said Brenna. “The others...?”

  
“They're fine. They've gone to get our ride,” said Jon. “Where's Haruna?”

  
Brenna pointed to an open door that led to a darkened room. “She's not doing too well.”

  
Jon nodded and went over and entered the room. He noticed that the light was on, but the room was still dark, and it was darkest where a figure was crouched in the far corner. It was Haruna, and she seemed to be shivering from the coldness. The door and everything else made out of wood in the room was dry and pale, as well as shrivelled up like it had been aged a hundred years in second.

  
_Void powers_, thought Jon before he quickly went over and crouched next to her, then laid a hand on her quivering shoulder. She flinched at the contact and looked up at him, frightened, but she relaxed when she realised it was only Jon.

  
“Come on, Sonny and the others are waiting for us,” he said. Haruna nodded silently and stood up, but then she nearly collapsed as her legs gave out. If Jon wasn't there to catch her, she would have fallen flat on her face. She was weak, probably from expending her powers more than she was used to. Jon let Haruna lean against his side as he wrapped his free arm around her waist to hold her up, and together they left the darkened room. Brenna was waiting for them, though she paid no attention to their return because she was staring at the burned bodies.

  
“I killed those people,” she said quietly.

  
Jon put his shield on his back and placed his hand on her shoulder. “You were protecting yourself and Haruna from men who would have done a lot worse to you,” he said seriously. Then he turned Brenna around so that she could look at him instead of the bodies. “But I need you to protect us one more time because Haruna is weak and I need to hold her. Can you do that?”

  
Brenna looked doubtful, but she nodded her head, straightened her back and led the way out of the room.

  
“Where are we going?” she asked.

  
“South exit, Sonny, Aya and Jihyun are meeting us with the van there,” said Jon. Brenna continued leading the way, though it was slow progress because they were trying to avoid contact with any living things. Jon forced them to take a detour twice before they eventually made it to the south exit where the van was waiting. And it was storming outside epically, probably because of Sonny.

  
Aya quickly jumped out of the van and rushed over to help Jon with Haruna, and together they helped the weakened girl into the van. Everyone else piled in, but right as Jon went to climb into the driver's seat, the exit door swung open and about fifteen men arrived, every single one of them holding weapons. The ones holding guns aimed them at Jon, who held his shield in front of him ready for a fight.

  
“Surrender the kitsune, White Wolf, and we'll let you live,” said one of the men.

  
“Not gonna happen,” retorted Jon. “Who do you work for?”

  
“If you do not surrender willingly, we will take the girls from you by force,” said the same man, ignoring Jon's question.

  
The gunmen opened fire, but the bullets panged against Jon's shield harmlessly. Those that missed him completely hit the van, making the girls inside scream but the bulletproof glass and doors protected them. Jon rushed forward, covering the distance between himself and the enemy quickly before he jumped did a front flip in the air and threw his shield at the nearest gunman and stunned him. When he landed on the ground again, Jon kicked another away, parried a few attacks from another before catching him a headlock right as the shield returned and smacked into the man's head. The man dropped and Jon caught the shield right as another gunman fired at him, protecting himself again. He despatched that man, as well as two more quickly before a bolt of lightning struck the ground near the battle, stunning and knocking down everyone.

  
Jon was the first to recover, his ears ringing and watched in awe as Sonny flew above him, lightning streaming off her. She let out a scream and shot out more lightning blasts from her hands, sending the bad guys scattering and giving Jon time to get up and run back towards the van. Sonny didn't let down her barrage until he was safely inside before retreating as well, and Jon slammed his foot down on the accelerator and drove away.

  
“Where are we going?” asked Aya.

  
“My family's home,” answered Jon. “The hotel isn't safe anymore, but not even psycho cultists would dare invade my home.”

  
“_What about our stuff?”_ asked Jihyun.

  
“_Forget it, we'll resupply at the Red Keep_,” said Jon.

  
Jon took detours and alternate routes to confuse any potential pursuers until they finally reached the Red Keep, by which time Sonny's emotions had calmed down enough so that the storm cleared up. Thankfully, Rhaenys and Aegon were already there, well and alive and they embraced everyone before ushering them inside into the largest living room. Cony was already there with blankets and hot chocolate waiting and he, Jon, Rhaenys and Aegon helped the five shell-shocked girls into the couches. They each took an offered mug of hot chocolate, but Aya was the only one drinking.

  
“What happened?” asked Rhaenys quietly to Jon once everyone had settled in.

  
“Ambush. The guys who have been threatening the girls finally tried to make a move,” said Jon.

  
“Are the girls okay?”

  
“Physically, they're unharmed. Mentally and emotionally they're exhausted and possibly damaged. Brenna had to kill a few men to protect herself and Haruna.”

  
“How are they handling that?”

  
Jon looked over at the two mentioned girls, who were huddled in their blankets. Brenna had a blank look on her face as she stared into the flames of the fireplace, while Haruna had put down her mug and looked to be fighting off sleep.

  
“It will be a while before they're better, but they might mot be the same after this,” Jon finally said. He looked back at his sister. “Where's Dad?”

  
“Tripling security around here,” answered Rhaenys. “I think he knew you would all come back to the Red Keep.”

  
“The news gotten word yet?”

  
“Been running all night. But, there's something you need to see.” Rhaenys pulled out her phone, typed up something on one of her apps before handing it to Jon. The screen showed a news broadcast, but it was replaying security footage of Jon battling the thugs onstage right at the beginning of the catastrophe before switching to more footage of Brenna and Haruna fighting off more enemies with their powers before the footage died.

  
“I guess we now know why you off all people were hired to protect the girls now,” said Rhaenys in a sarcastic tone as she took back her phone.

  
“I need to call my boss,” said Jon. He left the living room and pulled out his phone, then dialled Wu. He picked up on the first ring.

  
“Captain, where are you?” asked Wu immediately.

  
“I don’t think I should answer that yet sir,” said Jon.

  
“Understandable. But you are somewhere safe, right?”

  
“Yes.”

  
“Good. This whole thing is a massive shit storm, but you managed to get all the girls out safely?”

  
“Yes.”

  
Wu sighed on the other end. “I guess if you want to say, ‘I told you so,’ you can,” he said.

  
“No time. What's going on your end?” asked Jon.

  
“Chaos. Nobody knows where you've disappeared to, which I suppose is a good thing right now. We're cancelling the rest of the tour right now and refunding all the money from the upcoming performances,” said Wu. “We want the girls back here in Yin ASAP. Do you have a plan?”

  
“I'm working on it,” said Jon. Ass of right now, at least.

  
“Good. I want to hear it when you’re done so I know when to expect you.” Jon heard Wu groan in frustration. “I'm afraid that after tonight, you and the girls are going to have to go into hiding for a while until the heat dies down.”

  
Jon clenched his jaw tightly, but not out of annoyance or anger. Rather, it was resignation as he had thought about it as well.

  
“Where?” asked Jon.

  
“I'll let you decide that Captain. Whether it be in Westeros or here in Yi Ti, I don't care just as long as those girls are safe,” said Wu. “You do your job, and I'll make sure the board is kept in the dark about everything.”

  
“I thought you told the board everything,” questioned Jon.

  
“Not anymore. I suspect that my company has been infiltrated,” said Wu.

  
Shohei's name popped into Jon's head. He had thought the same thing and warned Jon about it right before he died. If Wu was having the same suspicions, then it must be true.

  
“I have to go,” finished Wu. “I will contact you later but for now, lie low and don't get into trouble. Oh, and I would get rid of the suit E.D. gave to you, it has a tracker in it. I'll try to send you your old suit as soon as I can as well.”

  
“Will do sir,” said Jon. Wu's line went dead, and Jon his phone away before returning to the living room. Nobody had moved since he had left, but he noticed that Haruna had almost lost her battle against fatigue. Jon walked over to her and said quietly, “Come on, let's get you to bed,” before scooping her up bridal style and carried her out, ignoring the looks Rhaenys was shooting him.

  
As Jon carried Haruna to his bedroom, he tried not to think of how her arms had wrapped around his neck automatically. He tried not to think of how comfortably she felt in his arms. He tried not to think about how her scent made his head light, or how good it felt to have her warm breath tickling against his neck, or the way she nuzzled closer to his chest. As strong as Jon was and how light Haruna weighed, for some reason she felt so heavy in his arms. Jon put it off as being tired because of the night's earlier drama, but that was a lie. Jon could have fought that battle all night before he got tired.

  
Thankfully, Jon reached his room, and he turned his body sideways through the doorway so that Haruna wouldn't hit her head. He deposited her softly onto the bed, careful not to jostle her. Haruna let out a soft hum, and Jon couldn't help but stare at the way the way the moonlight shining through the mirror made her skin seem to glow, even despite the grime and sweat on it. In some ways, it made her both ethereal while also grounding her in the real world.

  
Jon had to look away before he became too entranced, and he made to head for the door, but a voice stopped him.

  
“Jon?”

  
He turned around to see Haruna staring at him through bleary eyes, her hair splayed out around her head.

  
“Yeah?” said Jon.

  
“Can you stay with me?” asked Haruna.

  
“I really shouldn't...” said Jon hesitantly. He knew that if he did get in bed with Haruna as an unmarried man, his mother would come back from the dead just to kick his butt. Which was ironic seeing as he was the result of Mum doing exactly that with Dad.

  
“Please? I just need someone with me for a little while,” pleaded Haruna. “We don't have to do anything, and I'm to tired to even if I wanted to.”

  
“I...” Jon paused when he saw Haruna look up at him with big doe-like eyes, and he finally relented. “Fine. But just until you fall asleep.”

  
Haruna smiled and moved over so that Jon could fit on the bed as well, and he lay down on his side facing her while she did the same. Jon's mother would be rolling in her grave right now, but he promised himself to keep it innocent. They lay there together in quiet, his dark grey looking into Haruna's warm brown, their breaths mingling together.

  
The urge to move closer to Haruna proved irresistible, so Jon shuffled forward slightly so that he was mere centimetres from her face. She didn't pull away, she didn't do anything that suggested she didn't want him to do anything, so Jon just went with it. He leaned in and pressed his lips against hers so softly it could barely be considered a kiss, just a light scraping of skin against skin. However, Haruna deepened the kiss a little, kissing him back. Jon thought her lips were soft and fit against his perfectly.

  
The kiss only lasted a few seconds and was rather chaste, and when he pulled away, he saw Haruna smiling up at him in a way that made his heart beat slightly faster. Then she closed her eyes, and a few minutes later her breathing evened out as she drifted off to sleep. Jon lay there watching her for a few minutes before getting off the bed and tip-toed over to the bedroom door and exited after closing it.

  
To his surprise, Dad was standing there in the hall, but with a concerned look on his face.

  
“How is she?” he asked.

  
“Shaken, but I think she'll be okay,” said Jon.

  
“That's good, that's good,” mumbled Dad.

  
There was an awkward silence, during which Jon watched as his father shuffled on his feet like he wanted to say something but didn't know how.

  
“And you?” he finally asked.

  
“I'm okay,” said Jon.

  
“That's good,” said Dad a little quickly.

  
Jon sighed and rolled his eyes. “Look Dad, I know you were worried about me, and you didn't mean the things you said before, or at least not in the way they came out, so it's all good,” he said tiredly.

  
Dad looked at him in surprise. “How did you-?” he began.

  
“You're only ever like this when you have to admit you were wrong or if you're worried about something,” said Jon.

  
“I guess you're right,” said Dad with an awkward chuckle. “Well, good talk.”

  
“I suppose,” said Jon. Dad went to walk past, but then he paused.

  
“Oh, I think your old military buddies were trying to get in touch with you because they kept calling the home phone,” he said.

  
“Old military-“ Jon cut himself off as an idea formed in his head. He needed to get five kitsune out of the city and to safety, and he knew just the guys to help him accomplish that. He pulled out his phone and walked hurriedly down the hall, furiously dialling numbers in.  
I think it's time the Night's Watch had a bit off a reunion, thought Jon right as the first person answered.

* * *

Two days later, the private Targaryen dining room was filled with people. Jon's father, siblings and aunt were sitting at the table, while four of the five members of Velvet Thunder were sitting on couches. Haruna was leaning against Jon slightly to make it appear as though she was still tired from the concert nearly two days ago, though Jon knew she just wanted to be close to him. She also had a mildly disturbed look on her face as everyone watched the six men digging into the food on the table like pigs.

  
“Are they always like this?” asked Haruna quietly.

  
“Unfortunately, yes,” said Jon.

  
“Hey, not all of us were raised in a rich family,” argued Beric.

  
“That's exactly what happened to you!” said Sam loudly.

  
“Says the hypocrite,” grumbled Beric.

  
“Guys,” warned Jon in a voice his friends had dubbed ‘the Captain's voice.’ Everyone immediately stopped what they were doing and turned to look at him, including Tormund who was still trying to pile his already-overflowing plate with more food.

  
“I'm sorry I had to bring you guys in on such short notice, but I didn't know who else to turn to,” continued Jon.

  
“Yeah, we figured you would call us the moment we saw what happened on the news,” said Gendry with a nonchalant shrug. The other men murmured their agreement.

  
“Regardless, thanks for coming,” said Jon earnestly.

  
“So, is there a reason why we're here? I can't fucking imagine it has anything to do with these fine young ladies,” said Tormund as he waggled his eyebrows at a disgusted-looking Jihyun.

  
Jon pursed his lips at Tormund's bad language (_wow, I really am a prude_) but he continued with what he was about to say.

  
“A group of people has been trying to kidnap these girls for the past six months. Already two attempts have been made-“

  
“But thanks to our mighty White Wolf here, they were stopped,” chortled Tormund.

  
“_Anyway_,” said Jon with a glare towards the big bearded man's direction, who promptly ignored it. “After the attack three nights ago, my employer has asked that I relocate the girls to a secret location. But moving five girls of Yi Tish descent is sure to catch people's attention, so I've called you guys in to help.”

  
“R'hllor help us,” muttered Thoros. Jon tried to hide the resentment at that statement, as Thoros was a worshipper of the Lord of Light which was one of Jon's primary suspects behind the attacks.

  
“So what's the plan?” asked Sam.

  
“We're splitting up and heading to the North,” said Jon. “Each man will take one girl, and you will all take separate routes to reach Winterfell, where my uncle and his family will be waiting with a private jet to take us to the location I've selected.”

  
“So that’s it?” scoffed Beric.

  
“The entire city and neighbouring areas will be looking for us, so we won't be in the clear until we reach the Riverlands,” said Jon.

  
“Eh, we've been through worse,” said Tormund.

  
“There is a highly trained assassin with enhanced abilities hunting us as well,” said Jon. “You will recognise him because of his metal left arm, so if you see him, do not engage, just try and get as far away from him as you can.”

  
“Who will we be paired with?” asked Sam.

  
“Sam, you will be with Jihyun as you are the only one of us besides me who knows Yi Tish, or are at least familiar with the language,” announced Jon. “Tormund will go with Sonny, Gendry with Aya, Thoros and Beric with Brenna and I will take Haruna."

  
“No surprises there,” mumbled Rhaenys from the back of the dining room.

  
“Haruna's power is the most unstable, and she asked me to be the one to make sure nothing serious happens to her,” Jon said to his sister firmly. Then he looked at everyone else. “Each of you is responsible for how you get to Winterfell. The Starks will be expecting us within a week and a half's time, and once we are all together we'll leave. You’re expected to watch each other's backs and protect yourselves by any means necessary. This is serious, and the enemy is patient and will be watching for any mistakes on your part before they will strike. So be careful, be smart, be safe.”

  
“Wow, he’s a really inspiring guy, isn't he?” commented Aya.

  
“Yeah, it got a little annoying during the war,” said Gendry. Everyone started laughing, which helped ease the tension a little.

  
Jon felt Haruna squeeze his arm, and he looked down to see her giving him a small smile. Ever since that night where they kissed, things had been drastically different between the two of them. While neither of them acted like anything had changed in front of the others, Jon knew at some point they would have to talk about their changed relationship.

  
Maybe they'd do that on the ride to Winterfell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: Jon and Haruna are ambushed on their way out of King's Landing.


	10. Chapter 10

Jon put the last bag into the car's trunk before closing the door and sighed. He looked over his shoulder and watched his friends finish putting their things into their own vehicles. Everyone had been given a vehicle by Dad for their journey North, and they were all preparing to leave. No one would be going the same way, though Jon hoped everyone would reach their destination within the time limit.

  
Jon felt a hand on his shoulder, and he turned around to see Aegon, with Rhaenys and Dany giving him unusually concerned looks.

  
“Be careful out there man,” said Aegon.

  
“I'll try to. People's lives are on the line,” said Jon.

  
“I'm talking about yourself. You tend to do dumb stuff whenever I'm not around to keep you in check,” retorted Aegon with a grin this time.

Jon laughed and pulled his brother into a hug before letting go and hugging Rhaenys and Dany as well.

  
Then Aya, Brenna, Jihyun and Sonny came over.

  
“You know, this will be the first time we've all been separated from each other in six months,” announced Sonny. Jon hadn't thought of that in all honesty. He'd spent every day for six months with these five girls, which was longer than any time he'd spent with anyone else before that. It was strange feeling being separated from them, even if it was only for a little while.

  
“Next time we'll see each other, it'll be on a fancy plane going to a top-secret location,” added Brenna.

  
“It's probably Jon's secret base in the mountains or forest,” said Aya conspiratorially.

  
“I don't have a secret base,” said Jon.

  
“That’s the sort of thing someone with a secret base would say,” said Aya.

  
“I'm going to miss your sharp wit Aya,” said Jon right as he pulled the girl into a hug, which she eagerly returned.

  
“And I'm going to miss your stoic posture and grand speeches,” said Brenna dramatically.

  
“_No you won't, they annoy you,”_ said Jihyun.

  
“_You weren't supposed to say that!”_ hissed Brenna, but Jihyun poked her tongue at her.

  
Sonny wrapped her arms around the bickering girls' shoulder and pulled them closer. “I'm going to be counting down the minutes until we're all together again.

  
“So will we,” promised Haruna before joining the hug, followed closely by Aya. Jon completed it by completely wrapping them up in his arms and lightly squeezed while lifting them all up, making Sonny squeal in delight.

  
Once the embrace was done Jon released them he told the four oldest girls to go back to their guardians, so they did and once final farewells were said, he watched as they drove away until disappearing around the corner.

  
Then Jon looked at Haruna and said, “Shall we?”

  
“Okay,” said Haruna.

  
Jon opened the passenger door for her and she climbed in, and just as he closed the door Jon sensed Dad coming up to him. He turned around just as Dad placed something in his hand. Jon looked down at it and saw that it was some kind of small device that looked like a remote key with one little grey button on it.

  
“What's this?” he asked.

  
“An activation remote to something my top scientists are working on,” said Dad. “I can't give it to you now because it's still in development and seeing as I can't send it to wherever you're going, I decided to install this little feature for when it is ready. If you're in desperate need of help, this will home in on the beacon installed in the key and home in on your location.”

  
“Won't anyone be able to track it?” questioned Jon.

  
“Please, whatever tech these guys chasing you have, it's nothing compared to the stuff your old man has,” said Dad with a smirk.

  
“Thank you Dad,” said Jon sincerely.

  
“No need, just think of this as a very expensive birthday present,” said Dad. Then he stuck out a hand. “Good luck son.”

  
Jon decided to take it a step further and hugged his father, surprising the older man. Dad however returned the gesture and patted Jon awkwardly on the back. Jon let him go and smiled, then went around to the other side of the car to climb into the driver's seat, checked to make sure that his shield was secure on the door, turned the key and drove out of the Red Keep's long driveway.

  
“Looked like things are good with your father again,” said Haruna once they were onto the main road.

  
“I wouldn't say it's good, but we're getting there,” replied Jon.

  
“That's still better than when we first got here,” pointed out Haruna.

  
Jon grinned at her before focusing on the road again. Haruna's constant positive outlook on things, especially in regards to other people was infectious, which helped to ease the tension. A comfortable silence fell upon the two of them, though every now and again Jon would catch Haruna watching him before looking away, and vice versa.

  
King's Landing, while being the largest city in all of the Seven Kingdoms, was relatively easy to navigate. Especially for Jon as he'd spent half of his life living here. The car winded through the streets alongside thousands of others, passing by tall skyscrapers and offices like ants. Though the GPS system installed in the car was giving directions, Jon largely ignored it as he already knew where to go until he was on the highway, which wound through the city above the smaller streets.

  
However, after about ten minutes of driving, Jon heard Haruna sniffle. He looked over and saw that she was actually trying not to cry.

  
“What's wrong?” he asked.

  
“Oh, it's nothing. I'm just being stupid,” sniffed Haruna.

  
“You're a lot of things Haruna, but stupid isn't one of them,” said Jon. “What's going on?”

  
“I was just thinking of the danger we all might be in,” said Haruna. “We might not get to see the other girls again.”

  
“We will,” said Jon determinedly.

  
“But what if we don't?”

  
“We _will_. In a few day's time we’ll be back together in no time and Aya will go back to making fun of me.”

  
Haruna snorted with amusement. “You're a stubborn one, aren't you Jon Snow?” she said.

  
“It's the number one word to describe me,” said Jon. Haruna grinned, but she still looked unconvinced that things would work out. “Hey, our route is gonna take us through the Vale, so I was thinking that along the way we could stop by and visit your family for a day or two, if it helps to take your mind off things for a little bit. What do you think?”

  
Haruna's eyes widened in surprise. “Really?! You'd do that for me?”

  
“Of course,” said Jon. “Besides, when was the last time you saw your family in person?”

  
“Um, about eight months ago,” said Haruna.

  
“That settles it then,” decided Jon. “You'd better call your family to let them know we're coming.”

  
“Oh Jon, thank you!” exclaimed Haruna happily, her sadness forgotten entirely as she quickly typed up a message on her phone and sent it away. She then started humming away to herself, and no more conversation was had for a little while.

  
“Hey Jon?” said Haruna suddenly. Jon hummed in response, signalling for her to continue. “So I was wondering, um... what are we?”

  
“What do you mean?” asked Jon.

  
“I mean like what are we in terms of our relationship?” elaborated Haruna. “I'm asking because Mum and Dad will definitely wanna know what's up, and actually wanna know as well.”

  
_Ah, so she was just as confused as me,_ thought Jon. He was thankful that Haruna was the one who asked first, because he honestly had no idea how to phrase the question himself.

  
“Well, we did kiss the other night,” began Jon. “And I'm not the best at relationships, but I'm pretty sure friends don't do that.”

  
“Agreed,” said Haruna. “So does that make us more than friends?”

  
“Do you want us to be?” asked Jon, looking at her.

  
“Well, yeah I do. But my contract with E.D. says I can't date anyone,” said Haruna.

  
Jon scoffed. “I think after everything you've been through I’d say if you asked, Wu would let you date anyone you like,” he said.

  
“You think so?” asked Haruna hopefully.

  
“I know so,” said Jon. Then he added cheekily, “Besides, I'm friends with the boss. I can put in a good word to him if you'd like.”

  
Haruna laughed, but she quickly sobered up. “And what about you? Do you want us to be more than friends?”

  
Before Jon could tell Haruna that he wanted nothing more than to date her, something heavy landed on top of the car's roof, and a metal hand suddenly smashed right through the roof and started reaching for the two people inside. Haruna screamed at the same time Jon slammed on the car's brakes, and the person on the roof was flung forward onto the road. However, the assailant hit the ground, rolled once and grabbed the road with his left hand, the metal one and slowed down on his hand and feet. When he stopped, he stood up and looked at them.

  
It was the Hunter himself, his entire face hidden by a mask and black goggles, though his long curly red hair framed his face. His real arm was holding a pistol, but he stood facing them with no sign of attacking yet.

  
“That's him, isn't it?” gasped Haruna.

  
“Yes,” said Jon through gritted teeth.

  
Suddenly something slammed into the back of the car, propelling the vehicle forward and nearly giving Jon whiplash. He looked behind him to see that a black armoured vehicle had rammed them, then he faced the front to see the Hunter flip over the car and catch himself on the roof.

  
“Grab the gun on the side of your door!” shouted Jon as he tried steering the car through the highway.

  
Haruna reacted quickly and grabbed the pistol before shooting up through the roof, hoping that she would hit the Hunter. However, her efforts were rewarded when the Hunter's metal hand smashed through the windscreen, grabbed the steering wheel and completely ripped it off. Now they had no way to control the car.

  
Jon tried to slam on the brakes, but the armoured vehicle had far more power to it and kept pushing them.

  
“Hold on to me!” yelled Jon. Haruna unbuckled her seat belt and climbed into Jon's lap while he put his right hand through his shield's straps, and with a shove, the entire car door came off with Jon and Haruna holding on. They slid on the asphalt for about twenty metres before slowing to a stop while their car flipped, rolled along the ground before exploding. The armoured vehicle stopped with the Hunter climbing down from the top. The vehicle's doors opened, revealing more men with guns and one of the handed a grenade launcher to the Hunter, who aimed it straight at them.

  
Without a thought, Jon pushed Haruna away hard, and he raised his shield up just as the Hunter pulled the trigger. A grenade shot out and exploded on the shield, but the explosion sent Jon flying high into the air and over the edge of the bridge they were on. He spun out of control, but slammed right through one of the windows of a bus. He hit a seat hard, and the last thing he remembered before passing out was that the bus was rolling.

* * *

Haruna screamed when she saw Jon disappear over the edge, but she had no time to worry about him because bullets were soon flying towards her. She sprinted over to hide behind an abandoned vehicle, then peeked over to have a look. There were about six men, including the Hunter. Four of them abseiled over the edge of the bridge to fight Jon, while the Hunter and one other kept their weapons trained on her.   
Haruna knew that Jon was strong, she'd seen him in action personally, but she knew that even he couldn't take a hit from a grenade launcher and not get hurt. That and the fact that he had flown off a bridge meant that he was probably vulnerable and alone against four fresh men with guns. Haruna had to do something.

  
She scowled and closed her eyes, focussing on the power deep within her just like Jon had taught her. She found a dark, powerful centre that sprang outwards once she touched it, and soon she was consumed by purple light, feeling more powerful than ever. She stood up, and the Hunter and his accomplice instantly started to shoot at her. Haruna would have been scared, but the fox spirit within her felt amused at the mortals' toys. Her magic shot forward, absorbing the incoming bullets into a void. Then, she shot out a burst of purple energy straight towards the men, but the Hunter rolled out of the way. However, the other man was not so lucky and he was hit. He screamed as his body shrivelled up from rapid aging, then he crumpled in on himself till he was dead.

  
Haruna had no time to think on her actions, because her fox spirit pulled her away towards the edge of the bridge, and with another burst of energy, she floated down harmlessly to the road below. She found several cars had been destroyed, including a bus which was currently being cut to pieces by a man with a minigun. There were other men shooting at the bus, then Haruna saw Jon jump out of it and grab his shield which had been laying on the side of the road and hide had behind it.

  
Haruna decided to intervene by shooting another wave of purple energy at one of the unsuspecting men, and instead of shrivelling up, a black hole formed around him, sucking the screaming man into a black void while crushing his bones at the same time. Haruna felt a wave of nausea come over her, but then there was a crash behind her, and she whipped around to see that the Hunter had landed on top of a car, caving in its roof with an assault rifle in his hand. Haruna blocked the bullets coming at her again before taking off down the street to hide behind some cars.

  
It was fortunate that Haruna was already in good shape, because she had a cramp in her side and she was sweating profusely. She hid behind a sedan and tried to control her breathing while also trying to hide her fox aura, which was sure to give away her position. Sure enough, she saw the Hunter, no longer wearing his goggles and slowly walking in between the multiple vehicles parked in the middle of the road.   
Haruna tried something she had never done before but read in that book of mythical creatures Jon always kept with him. She cupped her hands around her mouth like she was about to shout, but instead her hands glowed purple faintly.

  
“Jon, where are you? He's coming for me!” Haruna whispered. Her voice however, came out as though it was behind a black sports car on the other side of the road. It caught the Hunter's attention, and he pulled out a silver ball before dropping it on the ground. Haruna didn't know what it was, but when the sports car exploded in a ball of fire, she took her opportunity.

  
Haruna fired a blast of energy at the Hunter, striking him in the back and knocking him down. He recovered however and aimed his gun at her, but Haruna fired another void blast which rolled a car right towards him. Haruna then sprinted in the complete opposite direction, shoving past fleeing people to escape the super assassin.

  
“GET OUT OF THE WAY!!! MOVE IT!!!” she screamed at the top of her lungs. People parted out of the way of her, though it probably wasn't because she was screaming at them, but rather because of the purple aura around her.

  
Suddenly Haruna's left arm flared up in agony at the same time there was a gunshot, and she instinctively dropped to her knees behind a pickup truck. She looked down to see that a bullet had grazed her upper arm, ripping through her shirt and leaving a bloody wound. Haruna had too much adrenaline flowing through her to really feel it, but she knew the wound wasn't fatal.  
However, the sight of the Hunter standing on top of a car with his gun pointed at her face might just kill her.

* * *

Jon had just slammed the man with the minigun's head through a car window when he heard the gunshots further down the street. He looked over just in time to see Haruna disappear around a corner with the Hunter in hot pursuit.

  
“Haruna!” shouted Jon before he took off at full speed after them. He vaulted over cars like a professional free runner and knocked down people in his way. He didn't care though because their lives weren't in immediate danger, but Haruna's was.

  
He rounded the corner just in time to see Haruna fall to the ground as a bullet hit her, and then the Hunter jumped onto a car to get a better shot to finish her off. Jon didn't let him though, because he sprinted forward with the intention of ramming the man right off the car. However, the Hunter saw Jon coming, and he completely stopped Jon's attack by simply punching the shield with his metal arm. The force stopped Jon in his tracks, and the noise of the arm against the Valyrian steel was so loud it echoed through the street and rang Jon's teeth.

  
The Hunter then pushed the shield up and kicked Jon in the chest, knocking him off the car and onto the road on his back. The Hunter then emptied his assault rifle's magazine into the shield before running out, then he jumped off the car and pulled out a tiny SMG from his back. He fired again, but Jon blocked the shots and smacked the gun away, then kicked Hunter in the gut, making him stumble backwards.

  
The Hunter recovered quickly and pulled out yet _another_ gun and fired at Jon, who blocked them. Jon hid behind a car before vaulting over it, kicking the gun out of the Hunter's hand. Then Jon punched him in the face and brought his shield down onto the back of his head, but at the last second the Hunter spun out of the way and caught the shield with his metal arm. With his normal hand, the Hunter then punched Jon straight across the cheek and flipped the shield over, taking Jon with it. Jon however landed on his feet, but the Hunter ripped the shield put of his grip. Jon tried a few jabbing punches in the Hunter’s direction, but he deflected them with Jon's own shield expertly before delivering a brutal punch to his solar plexus, sending him staggering backwards. Jon recovered into a crouching position to see the Hunter holding his shield out defensively with a cold look in his eyes.

  
Jon grit his teeth before dashing forward to continue the fight, and the Hunter threw the shield right at him with a force even Jon couldn't muster. He had to sidestep out of the way to avoid getting decapitated by his own shield, which lodged into the side of a grey van. Right as Jon approached the Hunter, the assassin drew a dagger, twirled it between his fingers once then engaged.

  
The Hunter was as strong and as fast as Jon had predicted as they tried to gain the upper hand over one another. The soldier spent most of his time on defence, trying to avoid getting slashed open by the dagger the Hunter was holding as he switched hands again and again. Neither was able to get the advantage over the other, perfect equals until Jon managed to get a lucky hit in which sent the Hunter spinning on his feet. Jon took advantage and spin-kicked the Hunter into the side of a van, then followed up with a powerful knee in the sternum which shattered the window behind the Hunter, making him drop his knife.

  
Jon then tried to punch the Hunter in the face again, but he blocked it and returned the favour. He tried to wrap his arms around Jon waist, but Jon pivoted and threw him to the ground. The Hunter took Jon's legs out however, and before he could recover, he felt a cold hand wrap around his throat tightly. Jon was then hauled up from the ground to stare within kissing distance into the Hunter's eyes, and despite Jon's best attempts, he couldn't get out of the metal hand's grip. The Hunter clearly had the strength advantage with his metal arm, and before Jon knew it, he was thrown hard over the bonnet of the van, sending him tumbling onto the asphalt.

  
Jon gasped for breath, aching everywhere, but he heard something jump over the van he had to roll out of the way before the Hunter tried caving in his head with a metal fist, which cracked the ground. Jon got up quickly, but the Hunter pressured him again by slamming him with both arms repeatedly until Jon was thrown into the van's side. The Hunter pulled out another knife (_Jesus, how many weapons does this guy have on him?_) and tried to stab him, but Jon blocked the blade a few inches from his face. There was a mechanical There was a mechanical whirring sound from the metal arm, and were it not for Jon's superhuman reflexes which made him move his head, he would have had a knife sticking out of his eye.

  
The knife pierced right through the van's hull, and the Hunter tried to follow up by dragging the blade towards Jon's face, forcing the two of them to slide along the van and leaving behind a deep cut through the van. Jon wrapped both arms around the Hunter's waist, lifted him up and body slammed them both into the ground, making them both grunt in pain. However, Jon was the first to recover and he got up, ripped his shield out of the van's side and spun around right as the Hunter came at him again.

  
They traded blows a few more times, but with Jon's shield back in his hands, he was ready and was able to deflect the strikes and kicks, albeit with much exertion because the Hunter was such a talented fighter. Eventually, Jon was able to block a hit from the metal arm so powerfully his shield cracked the metal right above the Hunter's elbow. Jon followed up by uppercutting the Hunter with his shield, then he spun around, reached over his shoulder and grabbed the Hunter by the chin and flip him over his head, sending him flying.

  
The Hunter rolled on the ground and got right up, his back turned to Jon and his mask lying on the ground. When he turned around to face Jon, Jon felt himself freeze up in horror. Without the mask, the man was like an old, corrupted dream come to life. His hair was longer and he had stubble growing on his face, but Jon could now pick out the man from anywhere.

  
“_Robb?!_” Jon exclaimed. However, his long thought-dead friend didn't even flinch at the name.

  
“Who the hell is Robb?” he replied coldly before aiming another gun at Jon's face. Jon was still too shocked to react as Robb pulled the trigger, and the gun fired.

  
However, the bullet stopped right in front of Jon's face, purple shadows swirling around it. That same shadow then warped around Robb, startling him before he was thrown away. Jon whipped around to see Haruna with her fox aura around her, her right arm clutching her left which was bleeding, but she was holding it out towards where she had thrown Robb. Jon turned around again to see that his best friend had vanished.

  
Jon quickly ran over to check on Haruna, who looked as shaken as he felt. It was just a flesh wound, but deep enough that he would need to stitch the wound up and it would probably leave a mark on her for the rest of her life. Other than that however she was fine.

  
“Let's get out of here,” he said before wrapping an arm around Haruna's waist and leading her off the street. Thankfully, other than them the entire street had been abandoned of people, leaving behind multiple vehicles. Jon picked the most inconspicuous vehicle, a normal five-seater that was silver and commonly seen on roads. The fuel gage read the tank as still being three-quarters full, so Jon helped Haruna into the vehicle and drove away.

  
Haruna rummaged through the glove compartment and by a sheer stroke of fortune, she found a first aid kit and pulled it out. However, she didn't open it up straight away, but looked at Jon with a dumbfounded expression.

  
“What is it?” asked Jon.

  
“I don't know how to use this thing on me,” said Haruna. Jon nodded his head.

  
“Once we're out of the city, we'll pull over and I'll fix you up,” he said. “Just keep pressure on the wound until we find somewhere safe.”

  
“Okay,” said Haruna, and she did just that while Jon kept driving.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jon and Haruna deal with the aftermath of the ambush, and Jon meets Haruna's family.


End file.
